


Fight or Flight

by DeathSymphony



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren Yeager Has Heterochromia Iridum, Farlan Church/Isabel Magnolia - Freeform, I don't know what to put anymore, M/M, Meister!Levi, Meister/Weapon AU, Possessive Behavior, Shifter!Eren, riren - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-15 19:58:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3460061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathSymphony/pseuds/DeathSymphony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Who are you and what are you doing stuck in a tight ass coffin, bound like a masochistic whore?" the captain drawled as soon as the kid managed to lift his head up to look at him. "They even gave you a nice gag to complete your getup."</p><p>"… I… I was… K-kid-kidnapped."</p><p> </p><p>Curiosity brings them together. Revenge ties them together. And Levi slowly understands what it is that's missing in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by an anime and manga. First is the manga Boku no hero academia. I started reading it last year and then I thought of a world where everyone has powers but then I thought that's too broad to be writing about still, I kept imagining scenarios.
> 
> Second is the anime my cousin suddenly got obsessed with, Soul Eater. I don't watch or read it for reasons I don't know. I might read it one day… I liked the pairing thing. And I thought, this is it! Pairs! So there we go. I don't take credit in the Meister/Weapon thing.
> 
> In this world, everyone is either a Shifter or a Meister. 
> 
> There are four classes, starting from the lowest: Class D, C, B, A, and S. S being the highest.

Time sure was slow.

Levi clicked his tongue as he looked down at his watch for the nth time that night. What was taking them so long? Hadn't they planned this mission for almost a month before they could take action? Levi did not suffer aching knees and all those chilly nights out to observe their target' security pattern just to have this whole mission called out just because they can't click a. Damn. Button.

"Fucking shit, those assholes. Better have a good reason or I'll pummel their asses to the ground." Levi muttered under his breath irately. The explosion was supposed to set off a few minutes ago.

"They might be just finding the right moment to set off the distraction." The spiky blonde on his right whispered as he slid his binoculars off his face, although the way his lips turned down showed that even he was displeased. Farlan never liked it when things didn't go as planned.

"Yeah, bro. You do know that Petra and Eld have good timing." A twintailed redhead piped, shifting slightly to shoot him a grin.

"Stop moving, Isabel. Do you want this mission go to shit?" Levi hissed as he cuffed the blonde on the back of his head. "And you, put your head lower. Your chin shouldn't go higher than the peak of the roof. You only need your sight to look, not your fucking mouth."

"Farlan's been scolded~" Isabel' singsong voice drifted softly to Levi's ear. Both men turned their head towards her with a glare which she returned with a cheeky grin before turning her full attention on the task at hand and raising her binoculars to her greenish eyes.

They were located at the tall building on its far right that gave them a good view of the huge mansion; its wide backyard littered with tall trees parallel to the walls and smaller one, framing the long circular driveway.

Levi sighed. This two could be quite a handful during their idle times but they do know when to stop. The three of them had been friends ever since they met on the underground and proven their trustworthiness to him although his relationship with Farlan was more rocky at first since the guy did trick him once in the black market when he was buying a modified gun but things turned out fine in the end when Farlan, after a year of the said incident, saved a young Isabel from a group of misfits and asked to be in their group with them, bringing with him a couple of useful trinkets.

Levi though knew that Farlan just wanted to be closer to Isabel, the way he'd look at her was painfully obvious but Isabel was a dumbfuck and since Levi himself was just as good at love as he was with cooking—which was shit—Levi just silently cheered the love struck man a good luck and left them by their lonesome.

He believed that things would turn out in the end which it did, thankfully, although he had to endure watching them dance on their tip toes around each other for years and an accident of Isabel almost being kidnapped four years back sealed the two blabbering lovebirds' fate. Perhaps that was why their wavelengths were so matched that Isabel changed from being just a normal class shifter to an Aberrant.

At first, they weren't really sure as to what class Isabel was, or any of them really, since they were born in the underground city where there was no actual doctor—just wannabe doctors—and the equipments were shit.

Normally, when a baby is born, the doctor would tell them an estimate as to what sort of class the newborn is using an equipment for reading wavelengths, only an estimate though, since a child's wavelength's fluctuating and only steadies when they are at the age of six.

It was mandatory to every registered citizen to get their wavelengths analyzed and give it to the government branch tasked to file such things.

Meisters only had to give them their class but Weapons had it tougher. They had to appear personally and the officer in charge would find a good match to wield them to be able to profile what sort of weapon they were even if they were just a class D shifter.

People who grew up in the underground had no such way of knowing what sort they are unless they fuse with other people. Levi found out he was a Meister when he accidentally fused with another child he helped.

He almost had a heart attack when the kid all of a sudden vanished and in its place was a fork. In his shock and panic, he flung the fork as far away as possible and along with it, the two were forced apart.

They had just taken to calling Isabel a class B Shifter—since bombs could kill singlehandedly even take away countless lives in just one throw—and with Farlan as her Meister, he was also dubbed B class and since they were an Aberrant Pair, it didn't really matter, as long as they were certain that they could win because that was all that mattered in the underground city.

Since there was nothing to do on the underground aside from keeping themselves safe and fed, their time on the underground allowed them to observe what a Pair's class could be and in turn, tell what class of Shifter someone could be.

It was a necessary skill if they wanted to survive and make sure that they would not be defeated.

Their only problem was Levi.

He was too pigheaded and did not want to fuse with anyone since it left a bad feeling on his stomach. So they still could not tell what sort of class Levi belonged in but it was no matter since Levi was strong even by himself.

It was when the police force went to the underground to capture a bunch of strong criminal Pairs that they learned that there was a handy device—a class identifier gun or CIG—that could be used to tell what class a person is along with his type but it was  _strictly_  for governmental use, even in the police force, not every branch could use them.

In all of Levi's twenty nine years of living, he'd wasted eight of it with them—seven with Farlan since Levi hated him for a year before the blonde helped Isabel but technicalities be damned—even when they moved above ground they kept close ties.

Their bickering was almost a constant noise in the background and they were the closest to a family he could get. Levi was older than Farlan by a year while Isabel was the youngest falling back three years so it was completely understandable that they were protective of her, Farlan more so.

The raven-haired man found it fascinating how Farlan would hiss like a fucking viper when another Meister would come close to Isabel with the slightest intention of wielding her—in one way or the other—fascinated after they had seen them fuse although they wouldn't know that they were an Aberrant.

There really was no way of knowing if a Pair was an Aberrant or not unless another Meister fuses with the Shifter or the Pair expressly tells that they  _are_ one. Levi had told them to keep their status a secret.

"How many minutes do you think we have when the bomb goes off, bro?" The redhead asked patting her butt clean of any dust. Levi appraised her silently.

"Three or four before they get their asses back in gear and another ten for their reinforcement to come if there are." Levi responded.

"That should be more than enough." Farlan added, "And since our last mission wasn't much of a challenge, we hardly needed to use your bombs more than necessary. Gunther and Oluo were more than enough."

"Even if we did, I just need to eat more and they'll be replenished the next time we fuse." Isabel said, pouting.

"You eat more than we do anyway." Farlan whispered but from the indignant squeak that came soon after, his Shifter heard.

"Why you! I'll have you know that all Weapons are like that! How could you!" Isabel retaliated in a shout-whisper. "I'll never let you fuse with me again!"

"Yeah, yeah. Why must you always say that?" Farlan groaned, "And besides, not all Shifters have the same side effect as  _you._  Just admit it, you're a glutton!"

Only Shifters had Side Effects, this is what they need most to replenish both weapon and gear. It could be in the form of eating or drinking something specific or just eating or drinking in general or both; while it is a general rule that all Shifters—those that fuses with their Meisters in a daily basis—should have at least ten hours of sleep.

"Stop it, you two." Levi cut in with a harsh tone; he did not like having people have a shouting contest especially when he was  _in between_ them. "Act your age, for fuck' sake. We're undergoing an operation here or do you want to starve again like we did back in the underground?"

Although starving was not a problem to them anymore for years now, still it did give its intended effect; the two shut their traps and placated themselves with glaring at each other, with Isabel whacking Farlan with her binoculars once.

Their mission was simple in terms of what they'd have to do but the site of operation was not,— and he quote "To take back my baby and my necklace from them and cause as much damage as they could on their property while you're at it and Do. Not. Harm. My. Baby." Followed by a good imitation of Levi's death glare that had his team's spine shiver in fright—the woman had handed them a picture of both jewel and babe and the picture of the mansion which they recognized immediately. It was that mansion owned by that one man connected in making drugs.

In short, this whole mission was just a personal vendetta and they was still hang up about exactly how they would find the necklace in a huge ass mansion.

Still, he applauded the woman who had even talked to them face to face herself when all of their clients used other people or, most commonly, called their business number—Yes, their team had gone so far up that they even had their own office down underground which was being manned by a hired personnel and somewhere in the city—just to give them their mission.

It was then that Levi finally understood the meaning of the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' Although she was not so merciless that, when Petra had informed her that they do not kill people, she told them as long as they suffered, any way was fine. It was a drug lord's home and that meant that it would be heavily guarded but they still liked a challenge so they accepted.

Levi was not one to pry into other people's business but this woman's fearlessness of having her real identity known on the underground deserved applause. Levi had already gathered that that baby was her child and she wanted him back although he was not as sure for the necklace.

They still couldn't turn on their communication device since they might be detected although Levi did receive a message that they might be later than the expected time of detonation.

He settled his night vision binoculars on his eyes—just one of the things that they had acquired on their past operation on a storehouse of a well-known brand of stealth equipments a couple months ago and was Levi so glad that he had come across a blueprint of their storehouse, although it did cost quite the fortune as well and a pretty high gamble since he wasn't yet acquainted with the information broker.

Not to mention, getting inside a storehouse of a  _stealth company_ would be quite the task but they persevered. Planned for three whole months and watched them like a hawk. Even though they had all those high gadgets, it would seem that that company had been lacking on the physical side of the fight, which Levi's team was known for.

The company had hired Pairs alright, but Levi could tell that they were on the mere class of B and a couple of class A.

Levi may be a Meister with no Shifter but he was just as strong as a Pair of class A could ever be and he'd handled the class A Pairs like they were mere class B's although the same could not be said to his team as they struggled to fight. They had gotten serious injuries even Levi had cuts and bruises.

It had ended in a total success though, if the high tech gadgets that they were now using were of any indication and needless to say, they had caused quite the misfortune for said company since they had been greedy with what they could take and load into their worn but trusty trucks and it just so happened that the storehouse was fully stocked then since it was due for exportation. Well, talk about good luck.

The bounty on their heads went up for that one operation but who cares. A bounty was a bounty no matter how high, they're screwed anyway.

And they were still not on the red list of people that had to be taken into custody since they haven't killed anyone, just wreaked havoc and disrupted their target or city's otherwise peaceful everyday life.

Really, Rivaille' Squad were not that far from a band of thugs, they were just more high-end and with an Aberrant Pair and the Strongest Meister to ever walk the earth, they had more fame than usual…

It was their biggest and most successful as of yet in terms of personal operations.

"Speaking of, we need more bombs." Levi said idly as he glanced at the glowing numbers of his watch. Just a few seconds has passed.

"Yup. We used most of them on the past mission and forgot to stock up. We're also running low on timer bombs and smoke bombs… even though you have me…" The redhead informed him with a bitter voice.

Isabel had quite the love on blowing things up, although Levi knew that it had everything to do with her as a Shifter, it was still a wonder why she was here with him in the first place when she could have been with Petra and Eld, cackling like a sadistic bitch back on the dummy site as she blew things up…

_'On second thought. No. This is better. She'd probably go overboard with pushing the damn buttons if she were there even if it would attract more attention. It would have been too flashy, not to mention we need her here for a reason.'_

Levi wondered if they could make that stealth company go bankrupt. A sardonic grin stretched across his thin lips. Perhaps it was time to get back on that company…

"Nah. Not worth the shit. They'd probably hired Aberrants since then and tightened their loose asses."

The other two turned to look at him curiously but a dark vehicle passing on the street below them caught their attention.

Frowning, Levi adjusted his binoculars for better view as he followed the tail of the car as the electronic gates opened up to allow them entry; it had no plate number and was tinted as dark as Satan's ass so he couldn't see inside.

There were lesser the men he saw during his surveillance mission on standby today—just an even number of eight people which meant that they were all Pairs—and it had proven the veracity of their information broker which was just right since they did pay quite the sum of money just to get the information they needed to break inside the mansion.

Levi had also seen three luxury cars pass by in the past thirty minutes, right on the dot. The last one carried the master and mistress of the house as the information had stated and they had verified that as well when they watched them get inside the car.

But this. This van was not stated.

"I'm gonna fucking kill that bastard. If we finish this operation I'm gonna hunt his stinky ass down." Farlan was also silently fuming beside him.

Levi may have been quite familiar with changes in plans or having something unexpected happening resulting in impromptu actions but that man had told them that he was  _absolutely_ positive about his information that he charged them more than was necessary and all that with no blueprint although he had provided them with the types of Pairs that they could possibly have battle with that was why Levi allowed Petra and Eld to fight them alone and had to be stuck on the more tamer part…

' _Still, that greedy fucker. This better not be more Pairs or those masters.'_

Men in black exited the vehicle as soon as it had stopped and without wasting any second they took out what looked like a large box…

' _No wait, is that a coffin?'_  Levi scooted closer on the edge, chin getting past the peak of the roof as his binoculars stuck on his eyes. He watched them closely.  _'But then again, coffins don't rattle…'_

"Holy shit, is that a vampire?" Levi heard Farlan mutter on his side. He was secretly, or in this case not so secretly, a fan at heart. No matter how much of a serious assfuck he was. Levi could almost feel the excitement rolling off him in waves. "…Perhaps a zombie… Or a… A cyborg…"

"Oh please. As if they're true, you fantastical bastard." Before they could bicker more, Levi hushed them up with a quick click of his tongue.

They watched them until they disappeared past the heavy-looking steel back door that slid open with the click of a password, all the while thinking of what could be in there.

 _'A human of course, but what do they need them for…'_ Somehow Levi felt a bad feeling settle on his stomach.  _'At least only two people stayed behind. They are probably a high level Pair.'_

They saw the same men get out; they talked to a man standing guard nearby before getting back inside the van and driving off. Two of those men were left behind so most probably they were inside guarding whatever was inside the box.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weapon/Shifter= same thing.  
> Pair=Fused pair.
> 
> This is my very first fanfic and my first time writing anything aside from school essays or whatever the hell they feel like making us write, ugh. School.
> 
> So if you could help me improve myself and this story, I would be very thankful since I have a lot of different story plotlines brewing in my mind for this ship and my other fave ship. Critics are welcomed just don't be rude, I have a weak heart. Hahaha…
> 
> In another note, if anyone had a name that I could call a Pair (the fused pair) then I would gladly take them into consideration since I suck at giving names, or calling anything in general. I gave my dog the name Gon even though my beloved Dog is white as snow… and Yes, that's Gon from HxH. I'm so lame…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I've had this up in ff.net for quite a while. I'm going to upload all the available chapters here as well.
> 
> Thank you for giving my fanfic a try!

 

A few minutes passed and they finally heard and saw an explosion in two different directions. Those two were dummies; one was near the gate outside, two was on the garage. It would not be much help but it would give them time.

They waited until the group of people was nearer the dummy explosions before the last bomb went off; it was on the right side of the building which was their real goal, the surveillance room.

Immediately, Levi and Farlan clicked their communication device on. Levi could see the jumping shadow of their companion—Oluo as planned—stationed on the dummy site as he rapidly approached the area they were located in for support while the other three stayed to make sure that their enemies would stay there and give enough time for Levi and co to enter the mansion undetected while Oluo would take their concealed car closer to their safest escape route and park it just beside the wall encasing the mansion.

" _We managed to get their surveillance room raining down their heads, captain."_ Petra's voice crackled as their earpiece started but it got smoother just as soon. " _We're going to engage battle as soon as they see and approach us. Eld and I already fused. Gunther's currently on standby, to provide long range support."_

"Copy that. Farlan and Isabel's also gearing up right about now." Levi answered back. "Be careful."

" _Roger, Captain! Farlan, Isabel, I wish you good luck."_

"Thanks, Petra. Good luck to you too, or so I'd say but you're sure a bad ass when wielding Eld." Isabel chuckled as Petra's laughter occupied their ears.

" _Thanks, we do try."_

" _It's the truth though. You look mighty cool, Petra."_ Oluo made himself known, his tone a little bit too dreamy _._

" _Oh, shut it."_ Petra huffed out with a giggle before her voice got sharp,  _"Now engaging with enemies. We'll hold them off here for as long as you'd need."_

"Thanks. Try not to fight them too much, just give them a good chase." Levi reminded her.

" _Roger!"_  Their enemies down below were panicking as they were torn to whether go to the other side's aid or to remain. Levi knew that it wouldn't last for more than a minute but that was all they needed to silence them.

"You two ready?" Levi asked the two close to him, eyes glued to the pairs running towards where Petra was, he watched as one Pair held hands in mid-run before pausing as they fused and with a bright flash of green light, a geared up Meister now ran in their place.

"As we'll ever be, captain!" Isabel whooped, a fist punching the air excitedly.

Farlan stood up from where he had taken his shoes and jacket off before nodding his head. He grabbed Isabel's hand and took them in a well hidden place where the light of their fusion would cause fewer eyes to turn to them.

"Well then, Isabel. Let loose." All they got as a response was a crazed grin. Isabel faced Farlan, gently grabbing his other hand.

Closing her eyes, her whole body was enveloped in yellow shimmering light. Her Meister watched her with soft eyes for a second, always fascinated by how she would fuse with him before closing his eyes to properly concentrate. As the light intensified, Isabel disappeared and on their place was Farlan, now fully geared with his Shifter, Isabel.

"Oluo, as soon as you get the car on position. Get back there immediately and time the best opportunity to get them off our asses." Levi spoke to his mouthpiece once again.

" _Yes, captain."_ Oluo's raspy voice answered back. _"I'll be over in just a minute, Gu—"_  It would seem that the Shifter bit his tongue again.

There was a much expected sigh before Gunther's exasperated voice answered, _"Alright, Petra's handling them fine for now. Although I'm seeing more Pairs coming and they're already fused. They look about C and B classes and one A class. Just a heads up, Petra."_  Petra didn't answer back but they knew that she heard.

Levi looked at Farlan, down below, their enemies lessened by a few people as they went to the other side to give support but they were now on high alert. Farlan was looking down with a peaceful but dazed look on his face.

He was now dressed in the battle gear provided by his Shifter. His formerly spiky blonde hair was swept back by the yellow-tinted shooting goggles that now occupied his eyes, while over his dark long sleeved shirt was a bright red zip jacket with patterns of yellow flames, it had a long stand-up collar with thin fur lining it.

His hands were now covered in dark gloves with the same fiery pattern while his feet were covered in heavy duty boots accented with red linings, which went up to just below his knees; even that had small bombs attached.

Instead of a belt, his waist was hugged by a wide assortment of round color-coded explosives, small almost just the size of a large coin—although to others it may seem like a decoration—along with his left thigh and right arm.

His fitted pants was now changed with pants the same color and pattern as his jacket but Levi knew that underneath that was his former dark pants after all fusing only does wonders on the Shifter's attire and could not magically take off the Meister's excess clothes so it was the Meister's responsibility to take off anything that could get in the way with their Shifter's provided gear less they wanted to wear thick double clothes and look like disproportionate oversized fuckers.

The blonde finally seemed to have gained his bearings as he let out a relieved sigh, a beautiful smile blooming on his face.

"It's warm…" As if sensing Levi's stare, he hastily added in a clipped tone, "I've been freezing my ass off for almost an hour. Isabel's gear keeps me warm…" Perhaps it was because even to Farlan's ears that sounded lame that he continued, "It's the truth! What are you looking at?!" Farlan's face was tight with nerves, cheeks dusted a light pink. Levi saved him from the embarrassment by turning away to hide his amusement.

"Remember the plan, just sleep and force bombs. I'll be supporting you from here but be careful. Mask up." Levi wore his own plain dark mask that covered the whole of his face—something Isabel had, in her moment of wisdom, suggested—to conceal their faces since their informant had said that there were people still inside the mansion like the maids and the like and there might be more cameras inside that was working even with the surveillance room blown up so they had taken that precaution.

While the others were paired up with their Shifters, the only people who'd need a mask were Levi and Gunther. Levi for obvious reasons, while Gunther's gear does not have any head gears or anything that he could cover his face with so they had a custom steel mask made for him to go along the gear his Shifter provided.

They may be a criminal team but Levi hated unnecessary violence, or death in that matter, so they always made sure to avoid killing anyone but they were also ready to hurt or kill anyone who would prove to be quite the handful and bring their operation down to hell or worse, get them arrested just because they saw their faces as of yet, they had managed to avoid killing people. Maiming though was a whole other matter.

"Yes, captain. Isabel said 'Right back at you.'" Farlan relayed to him before he zipped up his jacket to conceal his lower face so that only his goggled eyes could be seen. Levi nodded and took hold of his sniping gun and lied flat on the roof as Farlan jumped down a ledge before settling over the walls then dropped down to the ground.

He stuck close to the shadows of the walls, concealing himself behind plants. Stealthily, he approached their enemies. Levi watched him along with the others near him in case the blonde was spotted.

As soon as Farlan was in a good position, his gloved hands took hold of a white colored bomb on his arm. Surveying his position once again, he searched for a good spot that could make the most damage. He waited for a few seconds until he could see them bunching into a good space before he threw the bomb at them. It exploded right on impact with the ground. Their enemies only had the moment to look at the white smoke that was now quickly spreading when sleep overtook them and they dropped on the ground like flies.

It didn't take them all out; there were still three people standing with one now grabbing a hold of his partner but before they could fuse, a quick throw of silver-colored bomb between them took care of that and a sleep bomb ended it all while the other was swiftly dealt with the same white colored bomb.

The silver colored bomb or the Force bomb were soundless but does not deal great damage other than throwing or 'forcing' the victims far from each other which was a good tactic in making sure that enemy pairs could not fuse although it was only made possible by the blonde's great ability of timed precision, an ability Farlan got from being a talented knife thrower which he had shared to his Pair.

Levi stood up from his perch, surveying the ground for any leftover pests which was unnecessary since he had already counted them all including the ones that had left for the dummy site but still, Levi wanted to make sure. Farlan was already on the door, working on the password to open it up.

"Right." Once done, Levi took Farlan's discarded shoes and jacket—which, Levi was proud to say, was folded neatly with the shoes covered in plastic— and put it in his backpack. With the unused gun on his other hand, he jumped down from the roof. He took some time to stretch his muscles; they'd been stuck up there for almost an hour after all.

"How is it?" Levi had already approached Farlan whose eyes were glued to the device on his hand.

"We're already down to two letters and a number. Letters. Can you believe it? I wonder what is so important that they had to use the fucking letters and numbers like some algebra shit." Farlan grumbled, brows furrowing as he eyed the device with such concentration.

"Stupid. This is their house so of course they'll want to make sure that they are well-protected, pair that up with a bank full of dough and that's what you get." Levi walked away from him to gather their sleeping enemies and tie them up. "Oi. Stop being a lazy ass and come help me tie these people up."

"…Fine" Farlan answered grudgingly as he trudged over a knocked out woman.

" _Captain, I've already park the car. I'm going on ahead to Gunther and Petra."_ Oluo reported.

" _Hurry it up, Oluo. Petra's being ganged up here and they got a hold of my position sooner than expected. I'm currently fighting them with a handgun."_ Gunther whispered, probably in hiding.  _"I still can't believe how Captain can take these people on without being fused with a Shifter."_

" _That's Captain for you."_ Petra commented, as she panted.

"Double time, Oluo. Petra, you concentrate on your fight. And Gunther," Levi's voice suddenly got a hard edge. "It's not much different from fighting another person with a normal weapon. It's not like just because you're fused with a Shifter, you're suddenly fucking superman. A Pair's worth and difficulty goes down to how well and how hard the Meister trained to wield them. With a skilled Meister even a fucking kitchen knife would be hard to fight. If you're having a tough time fighting, that would either mean you're slacking off in your training or the Meister's just that efficient with his Shifter."

" _Sorry, captain."_ A male and female voice chorused, there was a pause before Gunther added,  _"Oluo's here, captain. We're now fusing."_

' _Well that was fast. Oh well, since Petra's in trouble of course the knight in shining armor comes to the rescue but in this case, Oluo's the sword.'_ Levi thought staring at the device plastered near the door.

"Isabel wanted you to know what a nice speech that was.'" Farlan said with an infuriating smile. "I think so too."

"Shut your fucking trap, Farlan and tell Isabel to stop laughing." The bomber's head whipped to him so fast.

"How the hell do you know that? Nevermind." Farlan sighed, "Hey, Isabel, shut up already. You're giving me a headache."

Levi knew the last one was Farlan talking to Isabel. Either Farlan was just that irritated that he said it out loud or he meant for Levi to hear it.

After all, Farlan and Isabel, having their wavelengths tied by a Fuser, could talk to each other telepathically while fused and since they had been together as a Pair for so long, Farlan had said that they could also do it even when not fused together as Meister and Shifter as long as they were looking each other in the eye.

It was a handy thing when the two felt like bickering and Levi was in the immediate area to shout at them to fucking shut up. It was just another thing that they had observed with an Aberrant in the team.

Levi merely shrugged his shoulders in time as a beep sounded telling them the decoding was done. "Let's get this over with. Farlan, you know what to do."

"On it, Captain." Farlan answered, before he dashed inside the now open back door to implant small time bombs all around the mansion since they  _had_  been asked to cause as much havoc to their property as they could along with their respect for the woman who had ordered them with the mission. They don't do things half-assed after all.

Levi, sighing, followed suit but not after taking the decoding device still plastered on the wall, they can't just leave such important equipment after all and even though it was understandable—him, being the only one who didn't have a Shifter, not because he can't find one but rather he didn't want to, the fussy fucker—he hated the fact that he was left to pick up things after them but he was given the position of Captain on the insistence of them all, he had accepted and with it the responsibility to look out after them.

Levi aimlessly opened and kicked down each and every room he could find, not even taking time to properly look at the grandiose mansion—although his critical eye still picked up the fact that the mansion was  _clean—_ since his team was out there fighting.

He almost gave an old woman a hard attack when he forcefully opened another locked door which turned out to be the servant's quarters. And what an intimidating sight he was to them, dressed in dark clothes with a similarly dark mask where his silver eyes peeked from slanted holes. Levi might have given them the illusion of Death personified.

They were all cowering in fright as he muttered an apology—something they hadn't, most probably, heard—before telling them to get the hell out in two minutes since they were bringing the house down to the ground.

It might have been the bad thing to say because they all looked as if he had killed their family but then a thought crossed his mind. He might as well have, since he was taking their jobs but, oh well, a job was a job, and it wasn't like this was the first time they had caused such misfortune to other people. Directly or indirectly.

"Do you know where I could find a baby boy? And perhaps, the jewelry box?" Of course, he didn't let the opportunity of making their search easier.

They seemed reluctant to answer first but one look at Levi's masked face—the shadows seemed to come alive with him in the room—made them shouting in unison.

"Second floor, two doors at the right!"

"And the jewelry?" Levi prompted.

"W-we're not sure w-with the jewelry but it might be in the locked cabinet of the M-mistress' Bedroom. It's… the largest room upstairs." The oldest of them answered, reluctantly.

"Well, then. You better have hauled your asses here after two minutes. We're not going to hesitate on bombing this house down even with your sorry asses still stuck here." A lie, of course but they didn't need to know that. Rivaille' Squad had a reputation as criminals to uphold. "Stay here in the meantime if you don't want to get in the crossfire outside. Two minutes, understand?" Levi informed them coldly before he quickly made way towards the stairs.

"Ah, Levi." Said man was about to take the stairs up when he met with Farlan. "This is quite the big ass mansion but I've already planted all the bombs. That should be enough to cause quite the expense for them. I don't need to put some upstairs, do I?"

"No. That's not necessary but go upstairs and look for the baby. Two doors at the right. Also, keep the bombs waiting, there are still people here and they're all hiding at a room down." Levi jutted his chin from where he came from before he went up the stairs, Farlan following behind, as he continued, "We can't have them running out like a stampede of panicking monkeys. That's sure to get the fucker's attention so I told them to get out in two minutes. When you got the baby, meet me in the largest room, I'm going to look for the necklace."

"Alright." Farlan immediately went into the stated room as Levi concentrated to finding his. Behind him, a woman got out of the room the bomber just entered and went running down the stairs, she might have been taking care of the baby. Just as Levi was about to enter the room he'd deemed to be the master's bedroom, Farlan had called out to him.

"Levi!" Farlan was now holding a sleeping baby with a teether stuck on his mouth and a bag slung over Farlan's chest.

"What?"

"You don't need to find the necklace. It's with him." Farlan struggled to hold the baby in one arm to show him the necklace covered in the baby's clothes but soon gave up.

Levi approached them to check and sure enough, a golden circular locket embedded with various stones that formed a camellia, hang around the baby's neck. The necklace must be worth quite a fortune. Anyone else would have taken it for themselves and sold it, but they were not greedy assholes.

"The bag has baby goods. Considering that we will be taking care of him for a few minutes, might as well be ready."

"Huh. Well that was easy." Levi muttered. Farlan grinned at him but the raven knew that he was thinking of something he won't like.

"So, since we already got everything and the bombs are set up and ready to detonate on your command… Could we go see whatever was on the coffin? Isabel won't shut up."

"No." Levi shut back as he went fast down the stairs, they couldn't afford to satisfy their own personal curiosity when his team was out there fighting.

When he got down though, he was surprised to see Petra, Eld and Gunther—still on his battle gear—already waiting for them downstairs.

"What…" He turned towards Farlan who had a grin on his face.

"I told the maid earlier to go tell the others to run since the bombs about to explode but I don't know what they're doing here."

"Then stop looking as if you know." Levi snapped, frowning before turning towards the others. To others there he may have looked bored but they have been together for years to see the gleam in his eyes. He was proud of them.

"So, don't tell me you handed their shits to their faces in less than five minutes?" The bright, proud smiles were answer enough.

"Not bad." Levi told them with a pleased smirk as he pat them on the back. Petra looked ready to explode with how red she was while the other two puffed their chests up in pride.

"Well then, I guess we could go down there and see what's inside the coffin. Petra, Eld. You two get back to the car now, you've fought more than anyone else." He looked the both of them in the eye, his normally hard expression softening as he said, "Good work. Take the baby with you and have Eld treat your wounds."

Farlan cheered as he handed the strawberry blonde the baby, who was still dozing off. "What?! But I want to see, too!" Petra whined before adding, "Eld wants to as well."

"No. There's a Pair guarding whatever's down there and from the looks of it we might engage in battle with an S class." Gunther looked determined.

"Remember, the mission always goes first so you secure the baby and the necklace. We also need you, Eld, to look out for anyone that's about to enter the grounds. Tell us immediately if there are." Eld nodded his head, taking the bag of baby goods from Farlan.

"Alright…" Petra still looked miffed but then the baby finally opened its huge baby blue eyes and it seemed to have awakened Petra's motherly instincts as she cooed at him and tickled his stomach which got the baby giggling.

"We'll be going. I guess, I'll just have to placate myself with this gorgeous baby here." She cooed to the bundle in her arms once more as they walked away.

"Petra! Oluo said you looked so cute!" Gunther shouted after them. There was a bright light and suddenly Oluo was there blushing furiously as he glared at Gunther and tried to explain himself only to fail horribly since he kept biting his tongue. Petra merely giggled as he waved them goodbye and good luck.

"Let's go now then!" Farlan said excitedly.

Sometimes, Levi thinks that maybe being fused with a Shifter also affects one's personality. Farlan was far too happy right now considering they were on a mission or perhaps they had underestimated him as a hardcore fan of anything mysterious and fictional.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's mysterious, alright.
> 
> Hm, Writing is so hard -_-'
> 
> The Shifter/Meister pairs may seem weird to you but that was the fruit of my 'just-pick-one' laziness. I wrote their names on strips of paper and just picked one and whoever they were is now a pair. The Eld/Petra and Gunther/Oluo pair is just one of the victims. But that does not mean that they are romantically involved.
> 
> Sorry, if the conversation and narration seem awkward. I'm still trying to get the hang of things. If you see any errors please tell me :) English is not my mother tongue.
> 
> Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it this far?!
> 
> Wow, Thank you!
> 
> Remember that one time where Eren and Historia were put into coffins and tied up and gagged? Yeah, I also didn't like that but I put it here. Oh hell.

Gunther and Oluo had fused once again and looked ready to go. Gunther's battle gear was nothing too modern like the blonde's bright red attire and fiery patterns but it was just as flashy in Levi's opinion while Isabel and Farlan found it cool and admired it adoringly.

Gunther's torso was covered in hard caramel-colored armor like one would see in the pictures of knights in books while his shoulders were covered in pouldrons and spaulders that was beautifully carved with ivory-looking pattern. On his hand were plain steel gauntlets with caramel-colored linings.

While Gunther's upper body was well-protected, his legs were not. Oluo had only provided for him tanned, comfy trousers and a pair of steel shoes with the same coloring as the gauntlets and went up to his ankles.

Oluo as a weapon was a big heavy-looking hammer but his Meister waved it around as if it was nothing more than a tennis racket, perhaps that was why Gunther had such beefed up arms and torso. Or beefed up in general. The hammer had the same ivory pattern that covered the whole length of its long handle while both ends had a pointy tip, shaped like a diamond.

"Could you still fight, Gunther?" Levi questioned, a hand settling on the doorknob leading to the basement.

"Yes, captain, we're still good to go. Petra's one hell of a woman." Their captain nodded, he could almost hear Oluo's retort of 'You've got that right!' and from the shit eating grin on Gunther's face, it seems that Levi nailed it.

"Farlan, you didn't use any of your flash bombs, right?" Levi turned to him as he asked.

"Yes." The blonde confirmed before muttering, "I should have saved the last sleep bomb rather than using it."

"We'll use that and knock him out while he's blinded. There's a hundred percent chance that they already fused and that would be killing two birds with one stone. We did quite the racket up here and they hadn't gone up, so they must be under strict orders."

Once a Meister that's fused with a Shifter falls unconscious, they will be forced to part. And there is a high chance that the Shifter's knocked out like their Meisters.

"That's why I had a strong urge to see what's inside." the blonde murmured. The excitement, though strictly concealed, was not lost to their captain.

"But when they had the same goggles as you or any type of headgear then you stay outside the room while Gunther and I fight him." Levi turned to the armored Meister and added, "Hand to hand." The pointy-haired male nodded his head as his hammer disintegrated in the air in shimmering orange light.

Down below was dark and cold but a quick click of the light switch helped them see clearer. In contrast to the room above, there was nothing on the basement except for long rows of door after door. The walls were painted with fading beige and, as they went deeper, the doors looked like the ones on the underground city, thin and chipped and overall look ready to crumble to down with the barest of touch.

Even though the incandescent light shone above their heads, it was pretty dim so they found the room they were looking for soon enough from the light coming out from the gap on the door and the floor.

Quietly, they approached it. Farlan stood on guard right in front of it, a yellow colored bomb on hand while Gunther and Levi were positioned on sides, hands up and ready to cover their eyes. With a nod from the bomber, Gunther closed his eyes and twisted the handle.

Levi saw on the reflection of Farlan's goggles how the battle-geared Meister with a spiked whip charge at him, luckily there were no headgear and with a grin and a quick flick of Farlan's wrist, there was a whistling sound and the room was enveloped in bright light.

Levi was just in time to cover his eyes and after a second opened it again to see that Farlan had already knocked them up, he was unaffected by the flash bomb thanks to his goggles.

"Easy peasy." Farlan singsonged in a low voice as he laid a hand on his hip, face looking bored as he stared down at the two by his feet. Levi was once again reminded of how Farlan was acting like a combination of him and Isabel.

Hell. Levi just wished that when he finally found a Shifter that he trusted enough to fuse with, they wouldn't be acting like some retarded idiot.

"Gunther, we're not doing any fighting from here on out." Levi stated, doing quick work of tying the knocked out pair. Behind him, there was a soft thump after a flash of orange light brightened the room.

"In the end they weren't S class huh, captain." Oluo remarked once he had defused with his Meister, who took his time to put on his shoes and jacket as he sat by the wall.

"Tsk. We wanted to see another S class." The blonde frowned, kicking the shin of one of the fallen. "It's been some time."

"Just be thankful it wasn't an S class." Their captain said disapprovingly. "I think even I would not be able to win against one."

"Nobody said you had to win." Farlan chirped. A glare from gunmetal eyes shut him up.

" _How is it?"_ Eld's voice boomed in their ears.

"Good. It was just a Pair of Class A. They were knocked out by Farlan's bomb but really, Gunther and I could have just squa—ngh." Their tongue-biting companion strikes again.

" _Well, alright. There's nothing yet out here but hurry up, you've already wasted two minutes. I'd expect the police to be here any moment because of the explosion but I don't hear nor see anything yet. Also, Petra's all patched up and having quite the happy time with the baby back in the car."_

" _Hey!"_ The strawberry blonde shouted at her defense.  _"He's just so cute, okay!"_

"We'll be there soon." Gunther informed them and the line went dead.

Farlan was already standing near the coffin; his eyes bright with excitement. The other three occupants of the room went to stand around it—with Levi going down on one knee close to its side—which was quiet unlike the time when they saw it get carried inside.

' _Probably exhausted themselves to sleep_. _'_  Levi thought and with a quick glance with the others, he grabbed the lid and slid it open.

"What the!" Farlan shouted in the same time Oluo exclaimed, "Holy shit."

The other two were more silent in their surprise. Gunther took a sharp intake of breath while Levi's eyes widened in shock as they all eyed the brunette laying inside, bound and gagged as if it was the most natural thing to see inside a coffin. Levi was not far off when he said he was sleeping.

The kid's eyes were open but there was a glazed look on his face as if he was sleeping with his eyes wide open but Levi could see the signs of awareness setting in and slowly, the mismatched eyes slid towards the one closest to him, which was Levi.

The raven held the brunette's gaze; his big, dual colored eyes took most of his attention, one side colored turquoise while the other was colored a fierce green. Even in the dim lighting, they still managed to gleam as if there was a mini led light installed behind his eyeballs.

"This is the first time I actually saw a victim of sex slavery." Oluo muttered which got his Meister immediately admonishing him, "Idiot, it doesn't look like he's been… used… yet. It's more like he's well on his way there."

"Ngh!" Farlan groaned and it effectively pulled the other's attention away from the kid's impressive eyes, although honestly, Levi found them creepy… Beautiful but creepy.

"What is it, Farlan?" The pointy-haired man's concern was clear on his face.

"It's nothing. Isabel suddenly wanted to come out…" Their captain finally looked at the blonde—and wow, Levi just realized he'd still been staring at the brunette—a frown pulling his thin lips down. "But I managed to stop her just in time since when we defuse now, the bombs are sure to go off with that and we'll be stuck here. She seemed to have forgotten."

"Isabel." Levi's tone was just a bit mad, but it still got Farlan looking down the ground.

"She says she's sorry. She just wanted to look at him closely." He motioned his head towards the coffin. "Apparently, she's been bewitched by his eyes." Oluo clicked his tongue while his Meister shrugged his shoulders with a small smile.

Levi glanced at the kid once again and—  _'Yeuck, how the hell did I not notice_ that. _'_ Levi thought with a slight shudder.

There was a thin line of saliva going down one side of the kid's round cheek from where his head was slightly tilted to the left and he was sweating bullets, making his earthen hair stick close to his neck and forehead.

There were small scrapes and bruises on his honey-colored skin, most probably below his wide collared shirt as well. When they lock eyes again, Levi didn't quite manage to hide his shock when he found that the brunette's mismatched eyes were now glaring at him. He almost muttered an apology but instead held himself, after all, it wasn't like he'd meant anything bad by looking at his injuries.

Their captain was staring so hard that he didn't even notice when Farlan had knelt close to the coffin and only when the blonde bent down closer to the other—thus covering his line of sight—that his silver eyes finally broke off their intense survey.

"There… happy?... I know…" The blonde's intelligible murmurs trailed off as he laid a gloveless hand below the kid's nose, and then prodded him here and there.

"It looks like he's been drugged. He was probably given a body relaxant to make him stop struggling. See here," Farlan pointed at the bleeding point at the kid's arm. "Injected. Although it's a wonder how he could move already, maybe it wasn't a huge dose…"

"Oh really, he doesn't look relaxed." Which was true, the kid was still glaring at him. "It looks like he needs to take a shit." Oluo snorted a laugh.

"Again with the poop jokes, but well…" Farlan took a quick glance on the kid and shrugged his shoulder. The kid's glare only intensified. "Now that we've seen, let's go."

"Wow, heartless." The hammer wielding Meister quipped.

"Hey, I wasn't finish." Farlan said defensively, "Isabel said that we should probably take him outside with us since we  _are_ going to make this mansion explode."

"Right." Levi agreed with a frown, "We've wasted enough time already. Gunther, could you carry him?"

"Of course. He doesn't look like he's too heavy. Shouldn't we free him first? His wrists are already bleeding…"

"You two, go on ahead." Their footsteps sounded as they did as ordered. Levi took the small sharp knife strapped on his leg and handed it to Gunther, handle first.

Kneeling down, the pointy-haired male carefully cut off one side of the gag, he pulled it off the kid's mouth and threw it haphazardly somewhere in front of him—since their captain was behind him and he had no death wish as of yet—while his other hand wiped the drool on the brunette's face with the clothe from the coffin.

" _We're on our way. We found a kid with pretty eyes back in the coffin. He was bound and gagged. Looks like slavery."_ Oluo said from the earpiece.

" _Is that so? How pretty?"_ The strawberry blonde's cheerful voice asked _," I'd like to see myself. Was it as pretty as this babe's?"_ They could hear the giggles of the baby in the background.

" _No. It was prettier. It was dual colored."_ Farlan joined in _, "Although I really thought it was something else, but anyway I got to see something rare so I guess its fine."_

" _You didn't take pretty eyes?"_ Petra's voice came off higher than normal.

" _Levi told us to go on ahead, they'll follow behind. "_

Gently, Gunther heaved him up in a sitting position to cut off the tight bounds around his wrists. His skin was cut and bleeding, it also looked as if it was infected. Keeping an arm around him to keep him up, Gunther also cut the rope binding his leg.

"He weighs nothing." The male commented idly as he gathered the brunette in his arms. His head lolled from the motion before it settled on the other male's shoulder.

"Just makes your job easier then." Levi replied in his default voice. "Let's get out of here."

"What about those two?" Gunther motioned on the still knocked out pair on the corner.

"Almost forgot about them." Levi muttered, he looked at their large suited bodies. It would be hard to carry them upstairs. "Just leave them. They won't die when we blow this shit up."

"Alright, then." There was no trace of distrust in Gunther's voice and with Levi walking upfront they moved to exit the mansion.

They approached Farlan when they got outside. He was sitting on top of the wall, looking down the ground like a motherfuckin almighty, probably felt like it too, the fucker. Oluo was most probably already back with Petra.

"Put him somewhere in there." Levi waved his hand mindlessly in his right as he looked around. The other did as told and carefully set down the brunette by a tree. "Let's wrap things up." Their captain muttered, just as they were about to jump a tree though they heard a groan. Levi glanced at his companion before setting his silver eyes to the kid.

"What are you groaning about? Got a plug stuck on your ass?" Levi asked, looking down at him. A pained moan was all he got as an answer. The raven could see the way the kid's muscles squirmed.

"Looks like he's fighting the drug." The male standing on his left said.

"So it would seem." Levi clicked his earpiece before ordering, "Oi, Farlan. Blow it up."

" _Roger."_ As if on cue, an explosion sounded behind them followed by crumbling rubble. Their hairs and clothes fluttered along as wind blew pass them.

" _Hah, Mission Accomplished."_ A cheerful high voice cheered _, "Is what I'd like to say but where are you, bro? Still with pretty boy? We're not yet finished, you know! You can't go around having fun!"_

" _Isabel! Put your own intercom. I can't put my shoes on when you're sitting on my lap!"_ Farlan groaned not really meaning it.

" _Oh you like it, anyway."_ His Shifter teased, there was a soft echo of a giggle from somewhere in the right.

Levi tuned them off and put his undivided attention to the brat in front of him.

"Who are you and what are you doing stuck in a tight ass coffin, bound like a masochistic whore?" the captain drawled as soon as the kid managed to lift his head up to look at him. "They even gave you a nice gag to complete your getup."

"… I… I was… K-kid-kidnapped." The kid's voice was raspy and it looked like he was having quite a hard time just speaking up but his eyes were set in a determined glare. Those eyes were really something.

"Name."

"…E…E-Eren… ngh." Gunther took pity and arranged him to ease the strain on his muscles. The kid named Eren now had his mismatched eyes trained at the other male with a grateful look on his eyes. "T-tha…Thank… You…"

"Y-you're welcome." The pointy-haired male replied back. Having those eyes staring him eye to eye unsettled Gunther in some way, his respect to his captain just went up a notch.

' _But then again, captain's eyes are more intimidating no matter how small… The eyes! I meant his eyes!'_ Even in Gunther's thoughts he could not afford calling their captain  _small._ Hell would go down to earth.

Levi had to take a hold of the kid's chin to get him to concentrate on him again while Gunther supported the kid's weight. "You had something to say, right? Say it now before we leave your sorry ass in here."

"H-help me… Plea-please." The brat could now move jerkily, still it was quite the fast improvement. Just then Farlan and Isabel dropped to the ground, masks on. The former muttered something on his mouthpiece, but otherwise kept quiet.

"And what makes you think, we'll help you? If you hadn't gathered it yet, we're criminals." Levi intoned; eyes never leaving the brat's, whose hands were now settled on the hand tightly gripping his chin. Levi faintly heard his voice echo on his earpiece and immediately understood that Isabel must have kept his microphone on so the others could listen in.

"I-I know… B-but you-you'll regret… leaving m-me behind." The brat actually had the audacity to smirk at him. Levi tightened his grip, bringing their faces closer.

"Arrogant brat." Levi muttered before harshly letting go.

"Guh." Mismatched eyes turned to him once again with a glare. The kid could finally move his neck freely and by the way Gunther's arm hovered by his side; he could already support his torso.

"Tell me something, why were you kidnapped? By the way you were taken, it doesn't seem like a normal kidnapping to me. You know don't you, you were the one kidnapped." It was stated more than questioned.

"They… wanted me…" The kid's eyes glance on the ground before looking back up at him again, his voice steady and smooth. "Because I'm… a Shifter." Well, that was believable and since his clothes were dirty as hell, he was probably taken while he had a Meister.

"Oh, of course.  _So_ stupid of me to ask." Levi didn't hold back on his sarcasm.

"So it probably went down like this," Farlan finally spoke up from where he was leaning on the wall lazily. They all looked at him but Levi stared at the kid's face to see his reactions, "They probably thought you were some S class Shifter but turns out that you're just an A or B class Aberrant. You fused with your Meister, fought your kidnappers but your Meister was weak and thus the both of you were knocked out and it all ended up with you kidnapped."

Levi knew that Farlan was talking about the time when Isabel was almost taken. And when Farlan and Levi brought hell on earth, well, it was forever branded in the hearts of those fuckers who dared take their redhead Shifter. Other lesser teams learned to  _stay the fuck away_ from them.

The kid silently stared at him with his peculiar eyes for a moment before finally answering haughtily, "You were that creep that suddenly got close and personal with me for no apparent reason other than indulging your immature Shifter's whim."

Isabel seemed to have not taken any offence at that but Farlan's sure as hell was enough for the both of them. The kid had guts, Levi gave him that.

Farlan bristled and stalked closer to him like a viper ready to strike. "Isabel may be my Shifter but she is also my lover. I will not tolerate you speaking about her like that,  _brat_." He could be scary when he wanted to be but to the kid's credit, he held the other's glare with his own.

"And  _I_ will not tolerate a creep like  _you_ to fucking insult  _my_  Meister, you shit." The brunette leaned in closer to him as he continued with a growl, "If you have a lover, why would you allow yourself to go invading other people's private bubble, asshole. I wouldn't call that kind of a man, a lover."

"That's quite enough." Levi quickly intervened before things could get any heavier. One look at Isabel got her moving to take his boyfriend away from the brat while their captain crossed his arms and stood between them, successfully gaining the brunette's attention once again. "You, apologize to him."

"No.  _He_ insulted my  _Meister_." he answered as he took a hold of Farlan's killer gaze dead on.

The brat's eyes slid to him as they took on an unearthly glow once again, eyebrows furrowed in anger, " _My_ Meister who fought until they were bleeding and coughing blood just so those greedy fuckers could not take me away. I tried to forcefully defuse myself but they wouldn't allow me so I stop and just did my best to protect them in my own way but…"

He looked down on his lap, where his bleeding hands were now balled up drawing more blood from his palm. "They- they used something to force us apart. It hurt so much, my eyes went dark for some time and when I could finally see again, I was being pinned to the ground and tied up. I know that I was no longer fused with my Meister. I couldn't see them anymore but I could  _hear… ..._ They were not  _weak_ , you fucking asshole. If anything, it was  _me!_ "

He stopped when angry tears flowed down his cheeks and they all just watched his agony silently, not even daring to say anything. Farlan was now looking at him with something akin to pity and regret as he threw a hand around Isabel's waist.

The team had already gathered from what the kid just told them that his Meister was either beaten up and killed or left there to slowly bleed to death. They could see how attached he was to his Meister and Farlan may have hit the jackpot when he said they were an Aberrant since no one gets this strongly attached to their Meister unless they were one, right? Unless they were family or friends or lovers or whatever relationship was available out there.

Also that thing that they used to force the Pair apart was new information. It was a good heads up for them, Farlan was sure to gather information the moment he could. That is if he could remember, the blonde was scatterbrained sometimes. Forcing a Pair to defuse was a breach against Shifter/Meister rights and the penalty was death.

Before any of them could say anything though, the brat suddenly turned quiet and they waited with baited breath as to what would happen next but he merely stared into the distance.

His eyes looked as if he was watching a storm brewing right in front of his eyes as colors danced along the surface. Then like a light switched inside his eyes; they zeroed in on Levi, they were alight with a soul crashing promise.

"And I will kill them." Levi felt a shiver go up his spine as he watched a crazed sort of smile appear on Eren's lips, fangs on full display, eyes brighter than they had been. " _I_ will  _kill_ them all and make them  _suffer_  like  _my_ Meister suffered!"

Their eyes still locked, it looked as if Eren was challenging him to go ahead and say that a brat like him can't do anything, to say demeaning things about his resolve but his mismatched eyes were telling Levi that nothing could make this brat's will break. His goal was set and this…  _monster_ would do anything to reach that end.

Levi had seen eyes like that…

In the broken shards of a mirror…

Down the underground city…

Eren's Meister should be proud of their Shifter's conviction and faithfulness. As a fellow Meister, it was enviable.

"Hm, Not bad." Levi straightened his back, arms falling to rest on his sides as he stared down the brunette, his silver eyes bright with excitement, "Fine. We'll get you out of here."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren's here. Oh, my baby. I'm sorry for tying you up.
> 
> We're not even starting. This is all like... Prequel... Wow, lol. But really, 104th's not even here yet and on that matter, Hanji and co. Even the antagonists are yet to make an appearance. I sacrificed all my classes in a day to write a plotline (or how I think plotlines are done) kidding, i was daydreaming the whole day.
> 
> Also I'm not offing anyone (we already had enough in canon) but I may injure them. torture. blood... ugh


	4. Chapter 4

"No…" Eren said. Levi took off his mask and held it between two fingers; his confusion was clear on his face as he frowned.

"No?" Thoughts flitted in and out of Levi's head but he disregarded them all since the kid in question was available for questioning. He was no Farlan.

"No." the brunette verified. "When I asked you to help me, I didn't mean to get out of here."

" _Captain, some of them's already waking up. The ones we knocked out."_ Eld reported,  _"Also, I think it's about time we finish. I could hear police sirens just from the distance; we did let those servants go just like that. They could have reported us."_

Levi muttered colorful words under his breath. "You heard Eld. Go get your asses back to the car."

"Alright." With the last of his team gone, Levi turned to the complex brunette seating on the ground and sighed.

"Our conversation's not over. Can you walk?" Levi watched him as he struggled to get up. Eren's limbs were still shaking and he would have managed to, but Levi had already reached the end of his stick so he hauled up the brunette to his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, earning an indignant shout from him. Levi didn't even let Erenstruggle as he gripped the brunette's injured ankles in warning, effectively making him go limp.

"Hold this." Levi ordered, handing the brunette his mask. He shifted, trying to gauge how hard it would be to make his jump with a tall brunette on his shoulder. It didn't seem like much of a challenge.

"Do you even eat?" Levi muttered to himself. He gripped both of the other's thighs with one arm before giving out his warning, "Hold on, we're jumping over the wall."

"Su—wait, what?!" Eren exclaimed as his free hand fisted along the back of the raven's dark coat. "But you're still carrying me how could you—oh shit!"

The raven ignored him as he jump over a sturdy looking branch before swinging himself higher and higher and as he finally reached the top of a wall, he hanged on for a second in one arm, and with a deep inhale of breath, he swung up and landed over it with a grunt.

"Oh dear Lord! What just happened." The brunette whispered, it sent shivers up to the raven's nape since his face was pressed on the small of his back. Eren's hands were still fisted on Levi's shirt but then his feet suddenly kicked almost toppling them over down the ground below.

"You shit! Stop moving!"

"Do that again!" Eren exclaimed as he beamed at him beatifically from over his other shoulder, there were leaves and twigs stuck on his head like a bird's nest. The way the brunette looked made the terrifying expression from earlier seem like an illusion and Levi felt something akin to disappointment.

"What the hell, are you a cat or something?!" Levi shouted back incredulously, he felt as if he was carrying an overgrown cat around his shoulder. The brat was made of skin and bones but he was flexible as shit. "Weird fuck."

"Whoa,  _you're_ carrying him?" asked an unmasked redhead in an incredulous tone as she peaked at them from the vehicle's open backdoor. "The clean freak carrying a dirty ass brat?! You wouldn't even touch me when I accidentally slip in muddy water and yet you're carrying  _him_ when he looked like he  _rolled_ around it!"

Eren shouted again when Levi suddenly jumped down beside the vehicle. "Can't you give a man, a warning? Bastard!"

"I thought you wanted to do it again? I just gave you your wish." Levi drawled, dumping him at the back of their dark van before entering it himself.

"Oh? So you're fucking genie now?!" The brunette retorted, rubbing his sore arms.

"Oi, Farlan do you have the same drug as those fuckers back there? Give it to this kid. I liked him more when he was drugged."

"I might have." The blonde humored him from his perch on the front as his hands fiddled with his mask. Eld immediately drove off once Isabel had closed the door.

"Do any of you know where the address of the woman is?" Levi asked. Eld waved a piece of paper in between his fingers in answer.

"Good. Let's finish this then." Gunmetal eyes slid back to the brunette nursing an injured wrist but Levi's eyes zeroed in on the dirty clothes hanging off the kid's slim frame. Clicking his tongue, Levi motioned for the bag on Oluo's immediate right which the ash-blonde handed him.

"Um… I-Isabel." Eren's hesitant voice started, effectively gaining the attention of everyone in the vehicle.

The redhead turned to look at him curiously from where she was seated right beside him while Levi was in front of them seated by himself on the other side, digging on a bright red bag.

"Oh! Is that the kid? Let me see!" Petra said. Gently, she stood up on one knee to look behind her with the baby dozing in her arms. Gunther and Oluo supported her shoulders to stop her from swaying with the car.

Immediately their eyes locked, "Wow, it's true. I didn't think it was  _that_ kind of dual colored eyes. They're actually two different colors." Petra commented, staring at him almost rudely. Eren showed his discomfort at being stared again by tugging his clothes down, he was starting to think what a bunch of weirdos this group was.

"Uh, thank you?" Eren answered, wringing his hands.

"Oi, change into this." Levi addressed Eren, passing him a white clean shirt and pants.

"Thank you… Wait, here?" He whispered wide-eyed, taking the offered clothing. The raven looked at him curiously; the kid was being all meek again.

"Unless you want to go to the roof…?" Levi offered, resting an arm on the backrest of the middle seat. Petra laughed softly as she sat back down properly, playing with the babe on her arms.

"No, thank you." Still, Eren just squirmed on his seat for a while but with a quick kick on his shin courtesy of an irate Levi, he kneeled on the floor of the vehicle, probably cursing Levi to heaven and hell in his mind, and turned his back to them—a vain attempt to cover himself up as much as he could—and dressed in the provided clothes. Both Isabel and Levi though saw the cuts and nasty bruises on his back, they even trailed down his thighs and legs.

' _He fought 'til the very end, huh?'_  Levi thought, eyes going lower.  _'Whoops, perky ass.'_

A kick on his foot got Levi looking at the woman in front of him. The Shifter was wriggling her eyebrows at him and smirking teasingly, Levi glowered at her.

Fucking hell, just a peek and he was now in love? Isabel was such a hopeless woman.

"Hey! You wanted to tell me something, yeah?" The redhead chirped kicking her foot on the seat in front of her as soon as Eren finished and was seated again beside her.

Levi clicked his tongue as he pushed her foot away. Eren turned to her from where he was squirming under Levi's scrutiny as if he had forgotten she was there; Levi always did have that intimidating effect to anyone.

"Ah… yes." Eren bowed as much as he could and said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry for calling you immature." Eren sat up again and glared at the blonde who was looking at him in the rearview mirror, "I only said that to get back to your rude… boyfriend." He turned to the grinning redhead, "You're a really cool Shifter. I have a friend who would be happy to meet you. He loves blowing things up, you see." He informed sheepishly.

Isabel laughed, reaching a hand up to ruffle his brown locks, leaves fell as she did. "I like you! No offense taken, though. Even  _I_ know I could be immature sometimes." There was whisper somewhere but Isabel continued, "Anyway, we're an Aberrant pair. Farlan and I."

"Oh." Eren replied just as Levi said in a warning tone, "Isabel."

"What? It looks like he'd be staying." The Weapon pouted as she crossed her arms and looked his brother in everything but blood in the eye. "This is the first time you picked up a stray other than me and you even let him see your face while on a mission!"

Levi stared at a glaring Isabel with his naturally heavy-lidded eyes, he looked bored as ever. Finally, Levi shifted his eyes to look at the nervous brunette.

"Let's continue with our conversation then." Their captain started, completely ignoring Isabel, "What did you mean by asking us to help you?"

"…I… wanted to be on your team…" Eren answered hesitantly, not looking at anywhere but at his feet. There was a palpable silence inside the vehicle as they all waited for their captain's reaction. "I thought it might get me closer to those  _fuckers_." His eyes flashed angrily before he calmed again.

Levi exhaled slowly, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms. His eyes never wavered on Eren's form, "On our team you say. We're a  _criminal_ team."

"Yes, sir." Eren nodded, finally finding the courage to look at him. Levi didn't let him drop their gaze as he leaned forward.

"We hurt. We kill. We do practically anything as long as we're paid." A lie of course but the others stayed silent and let their captain handle the situation at hand. "It's all about money, brat."

"I know..." There was acceptance in the kid's eyes but it wasn't what Levi wanted. Disappointed, he leaned away and was about to tell Eld to stop the car but the brunette continued in a hard voice, "You don't kill. And even if you did, I may or may not do as you ordered."

Shocked and a little bit excited—why, Levi did not know—he looked at the other again. Isabel was practically gaping while all heads turned to look at them; even Eld glanced at them by the rear view mirror.

"Oh? Why? Did you, by chance, hear of us?"

"No. I haven't heard of your team or any other criminal team but I know that the city is abundant with them."

"Then?" Levi urged, he felt as if there was something wrong in there but still couldn't point out.

Eren sighed before answering, "I was in the basement as you all know. Actually you even came down there because you were curious, right?" He chuckled before continuing in a solemn tone, shoulders caving in on himself, "I heard the explosion upstairs; I thought it was my Meister coming to take me back so I struggled more and well this happened." He lifted his mangled wrists. Isabel exclaimed—clearly just noticing it then—before shouting for the medical kit which Gunther passed her. Immediately she grabbed a hold of his injured wrists but they evaded her.

"Ah no, it's fine. Thank you."

"No, it's not. Give it here." Isabel said in sharp tone that got Eren obeying.

"Continue." The raven injected.

"Ah right… Um, the pair standing guard gave me a sedative to shut me up and because of that I heard what's happening upstairs since the noise gets pretty loud in the basement when you're hearing nothing but your own breathing. I know my Meister. They'd be shouting for my name when it's them but I didn't hear anything. Instead I heard footsteps running outside and I knew that those were the servants since I heard them talking when those bastards took me in."

From what he said, Levi thought that perhaps this wasn't the first time he was kidnapped and the kid was still being secretive about his Meister, even the gender was undisclosed.

' _The kid's taking great lengths to protect his Meister, huh. Loyal dog.'_

"You could have bombed the place down even with the people inside since who cares if there are people inside? That's what ruthless criminals would have done instead you gave them a warning. I'm taking my chances but then you people came and…"

Eren suddenly got nervous as he broke their eye contact and stared at his now bandaged wrists. Blood was slowly seeping in. Isabel was cleaning his hair free of leaves and twigs, "… You may be intimidating as fuck but I still got the feeling that I could trust you." There was a chorused agreement in the vehicle.

Levi was silent for a moment as he tried to make sense of Eren. He looked weak, even his demeanor screamed that but then again wasn't he kidnapped? High class Shifters are prone to kidnapping especially when the kidnappers were criminal syndicates.

It just proved that he may be useful in the long-run but then Farlan had a point when he said that he may be an Aberrant. They had no use for an Aberrant Shifter when the Meister was not with him.

Isabel and Farlan became a B class Aberrant when Isabel finally trusted Farlan enough to fuse with her, a year after they met. It was a time when they were still living in the underground city; Farlan and Isabel were fifteen and thirteen years old, respectively; with Levi being sixteen. It came not only as a surprise to the two at issue but also to those who had witnessed them, which was to say, Levi.

Levi had once paired with Isabel to know what kind of Weapon she was—just once, because Levi found that he was not so keen on blowing things up. One, it was too flashy; two, it was noisy as fuck; and three, he'd rather be fighting them physically than throwing things at them like an idiot.

Not that he'd say that to the duo face to face for reasons—but he was sure as hell that Isabel didn't provide him with clothes that cool and an abundant and wide range of assorted bombs—there was even one that was soundless and had special features like that sleep bomb—even those glasses was missing when he fused with Isabel.

Levi sure as hell did not gawk at them then.

Farlan had stated that the gear provided by Isabel were shock-proof—as they had known back when he was getting acquainted with his Shifter—since he was armed with bombs that were color coded although the blonde had to use them first to know what those colors stood for—it was quite the hassle at first since some had attributes while the other bombs were loud as hell that they almost got arrested and they had trouble just finding the good training place while they were on the underground so they changed places every single time they had to train.

There was one though that looked mighty dangerous, it even had a red skull plastered on its smooth, circular surface. The two of them had stared at it nervously before coming to a silent agreement to never try it while on the underground.

Isabel didn't know but it was understandable since every Shifter didn't know their own full capabilities if they didn't have a Meister to use them, not especially when they had a Meister that had the exact same wavelength as them, turning them into an Aberrant.

Levi had gathered that being with your  _fated_ —as Farlan loved to call it—Meister could change everything about the Shifter's form—weapon and gear-wise—and practically gets the norm to shit.

An Aberrant is a different type where a certain class finds someone who had the exact same wavelength as them. Being an Aberrant allows the Shifter to show its full capabilities, in a sense it is an upgrade to the Shifter.

It was like seeing your fated person. Some even said that there were even cases where a Meister and a Shifter that was in love with each other became an Aberrant after some time as their wavelengths matched each other but Levi wasn't so sure since it wasn't stated in the registry when the Pair undergoes the fusing ceremony performed by a Binder, for all he knew it could be the other way around, like with Farlan and Isabel.

Being an Aberrant doesn't have any effect on the Meister—except that they would be wielding a Shifter as if they were made just for them and the honor that goes with it—and they will need to train with their weapon to achieve the level of efficacy in wielding them.

Farlan and Isabel had undergone their own training regimen for years with Levi assisting them when they needed someone to fight on far and close quarters, which was rare since they were equipped with bombs which was a long distance weapon but Levi insisted just to make sure that they would be ready for all sorts of battle but he bemoaned it afterwards, those upgraded bombs hurt as hell but it was training for him too, so it was a win-win situation to both parties.

Needless to say, they immediately searched for a Binder to make sure that they are linked since Shifters were more prone to being kidnapped than Meisters were.

"What class are you?" Levi asked. The others straightened up in their seat; no doubt it was the question they were all waiting for.

"… S class."

There was a sharp intake of breath then a muttered, "Bullshit."

"S class? Is that the truth?" Farlan and Isabel asked in unison. The latter was getting close and personal with him just like his boyfriend did back in the basement.

"Y-yes." Eren answered as he edged away from her. They were suddenly all asking him questions but Levi kept quiet and just observed the flustered brunette.

That certainly changed things. Even when not an Aberrant, he was still a powerful weapon. Powerful was even downplaying it, the brat was at the top of the fucking chain. Still, the question was if Levi could fuse with him. They, after all, didn't know what class Levi was. That and the fact that Eren must be tied with his past Meister.

They looked like they had quite the strong relationship especially when he was fiercely protective of them, or maybe that was just his nature.

Even Levi would want their wavelengths bound when they had such a relationship just to ensure safety against other Meisters but that could still be fucked up when the syndicate took the chance to cut their tied wavelengths. Forcing a bound wavelength to be cut could end up in making the Pair brain dead or worse, dead.

But then again, it could also be the fact that S class Shifters could  _only_ fuse with another S class while S class Meisters could practically fuse with  _anyone_  compatible. Eren looked like someone who'd want to be out in the field rather than doing mundane tasks and being such a high class weapon, isn't it just natural that he'd be attached to the one person who could make use of his rare capabilities?

That was the only reason Levi could think and he strongly believed it.

A Binder is someone who is versed in the art of tying two wavelengths. It was to make sure that the Weapon could not be wielded by anyone else while the Meister could not fuse with any other Weapon.

Although legally, it was also to make sure that all Aberrants and bound Pairs are registered for recording purposes which, of course, they couldn't do less they want to be taken into custody since they were still brats back then.

It was a matter of life or death and binding shows the complete trust between Meister and Weapon.

Then again, when the kid's Meister was dead then that makes the binding ineffective and the Shifter is free to fuse with other people.

"Bro! You should let him in the team! We could even see if you're an S class like we always thought!" Isabel's excited squeal pulled Levi from his thoughts.

The redhead was hugging a flustered brunette to her chest. Levi clicked his tongue and forced a leg in between them, effectively shoving them apart. Isabel whined then pouted at him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, I'm still wondering how writers could do this. I'm struggling here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh? You're still here? Thank you! ^^

"Don't you think we should wake him up, bro?" Isabel asked worriedly from where she was kneeling beside the couch Eren laid, she eyed the tears falling evenly on his plump cheeks.

Eren had fainted while on their way to their client so they'd taken him back on their office for further questioning. His face was pale, lips white and cracked and he was sweating bullets once again. Levi would have frowned but Petra, thankfully, had the mind to cover their couch with a thick blanket before laying him there.

"No. Just let it be." Levi answered, sighing. He shifted one foot to cross the other and made himself comfortable by the wall.

"If he starts thrashing around, that's when you wake him up, Isabel." Farlan added, "It looks like he's having a bad dream but not a nightmare. Or not yet, anyway."

As if on cue, the brunette started murmuring intelligible things under his breath. Eyes moving fast underneath his eyelids as his head moved slowly from left to right. Isabel was about to wake him up but mismatched eyes immediately opened and eyed the hand hovering just inches at his face. The brunette bolted up so fast, moving as far away as possible from the redhead that he fell down the floor.

"W-what…?" the brunette stammered, shifting his attention to her and to the other two occupants of the room wearily.

"Ah…" Isabel smiled brightly as if Eren wasn't looking at her with wide frightful eyes, "Good morning, sleeping beauty! Had a good dream?"

"Uhm…" Eren started, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at each of them with concentration, "Isabel? And uh… Farlan and… Ri—Levi?"

"You remembered!" Isabel humored him by clapping her hands, "You've been out of it for an hour, I guess. How are you feeling?"

"Good." He answered before apparently noticing the wetness of his face. Reaching up a hand, he stared at it for a moment before wiping it off almost automatically at his borrowed pants.

"You've been crying while sleeping." Farlan informed him, sitting on the couch in front of him to look at the brunette better. Levi followed suit and swung his arm behind the backrest and crossed his legs.

"Oh."

"That happen often?" Levi inquired; the brunette had shrugged it off as if it was normal.

"Sometimes." Eren slurred, ridding his eyes of tears and sleep. The brunette still looked exhausted, eyes red rimmed with faint eyebags. At least, his cold sweat had lessened by a degree.

"Come on, Eren. Up here." Isabel called as she patted the space beside her and grinning a bit too big. "Is there anything you'd need?"

"Yes, excuse me but could I have some water, please?" Eren politely asked. He brushed himself off before sitting down just as Isabel vacated her seat.

"Sure!"

Farlan cleared his throat and then stood up. Levi didn't even bother looking at him while Eren's mismatched eyes focused at the blonde with a blank face which turned to a shocked expression once Farlan had bent himself forward.

"Forgive me for calling your Meister weak. It just got a bit close to home." Eren's eyes stared at him for a moment before shifting to Isabel's form and Levi knew that the brat got the point. At least the kid had a good head on his shoulders, Levi thought idly.

"It's fine." Eren comforted him; the blonde stood straight once again and glanced at the redhead's way. "I already got even to you."

"Yes, but you apologized to her and it's just fair that I do to you as well. I thought you were also just some brat but I see that I was wrong."

The door opened admitting the rest of Rivaille's Squad. Levi glanced at them briefly before taking a hold of Eren's attention once again by kicking a foot up the table in between them.

"So…Who's your Meister?" Isabel came back and handed Eren two bottles of water before taking her seat beside her blonde lover. "Sure they're dead?"

"They're not dead!" Eren shouted at him. He'd almost cracked the bottle with how hard he was holding them. Levi frowned at him but silently commended his loyalty. If Levi got that kind of loyalty from him…

' _Shit, I'm already thinking of accepting him as a teammate, aren't I? Stop it, you fucker. How could I trust someone who won't give us even a_ clue _of his Meister.'_ Levi frowned some more. Eren sweated in his seat clearly intimidated but holding his ground.

"How do you think we'll trust you if you can't even answer a simple question." The raven growled. "Let's say I accept you in our team. Who's to say that you won't rat us out to the police?"

"I-I give you my word." The brunette stammered.

"Your word is not enough."

"I'll—I'll let you fuse with me." That sure got his attention. It also proved that Eren was not bound to his Meister. "I've been thinking about it ever since I saw you."

"Me?"

"You're the only one without a Weapon, right? And didn't I tell you that I felt like I could trust you? You seem strong so I think you won't have a hard time wielding me." Eren informed him, mismatched eyes roaming the length of his muscular body shamelessly.

"So just because I look strong makes me an S class, huh? How presumptuous of you." Levi snapped. He never liked being sorted just because he was strong, it's like saying D class Meisters are weak.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just that I felt that you could fuse with me…" Eren answered immediately; face red with shame and embarrassment. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry…"

"Felt? You mean that literally?" The raven queried, head tilting slightly to the left.

"Yes. Don't you feel it?" Eren asked, mirroring his action. Now that he'd mention it, Levi had been feeling some sort of tugging for a while now.

"Ah! He's talking about that feeling of finding someone compatible to you! Eld and I felt it when we first met." Petra disclosed, walking further into the room and settling down on the same couch as Eren and patting the brunette on the shoulder softly.

"Then that should mean that I'd be feeling it all the time if I'm an S class like him." Their captain countered.

"No. I meant… hmm, its like, higher classes mean that they could fuse with anyone within or lower than their class right? As long as their wavelength's on the same, let's say, zone. But there are others that are almost the same and when they are, they could feel that on encounter."

Levi nodded, soaking that up before his silver eyes watched as Eren gulped down the water like a dried up well. The brunette had downed it so fast, there wasn't even a single drop of water left on the bottle before his hands nimbly took hold of the other and downed it with the same greedy vigor.

"Is that your side effect?" Eld asked as the bottle met with the table with a soft thud. With a short glance at their captain, Eld took more bottles from the small refrigerator and handled it to the brunette who accepted it graciously.

"Thank you. It is my side effect although I'd prefer tea." Levi perked up at that, ignoring the chorused groan around the room.

"Oh? Which kind?" Apparently, their captain found a partner-in-crime. If Eren was ever accepted in their team, their captain would most probably use him as a reason to stock up more on tea—that they don't like but won't ever say—rather than juice or, God forbid,  _coffee_.

"Any kind." There goes their hope. Levi smirk devilishly, he could almost hear the frustrated cries of his team.

"I felt that with Isabel when we first met." Farlan interjected immediately when he felt the brewing of tea-related discussion between the two—Levi was too much of an obsessed tea maniac even Levi knew it himself, "Although I didn't know what it was at the time but it was strong enough that it irritated me so much I had to find her again. You were scary by the way. I really thought you were going to skin me alive." Even to their captain that was new information.

"You didn't notice it, bro?" Isabel cocked her head questioningly. Wide green eyes, blinking up innocently at him.

"Well, I've been distracted…" Levi reluctantly answered, eyes trailing to the brunette. "If it's not that irritating as Farlan said then we're not  _fated_  Pairs. Thank fuck, wouldn't want to be stuck with a brat like you."

"Excuse you!" Eren raged at him, crossing his arms. "Nobody said you had to stick with an Aberrant! Even I wouldn't want to be paired with a sho-"

There was a loud smack as Isabel's hand made contact with his lips. Eren almost called her rude but the flash on Levi's eyes made him immediately feeling grateful to her instead.

"Now, now. Ere-nyan, Let's not fuck up our chances, yeah?" Isabel whispered, sweating. Eren cleared his throat and nodded.

"If I may, Eren." Eld pushed away from his wall and leaned towards the side of their couch to take a better look at the brunette, "What's your form as a weapon?"

The others also turned to look curiously at the S class Shifter. Eld had just asked the million dollar question. "E-eh? As a weapon?... Y-you see… Um, I'm…"

"What you don't know? How useless can you be?" the raven-haired male said cuttingly. Farlan shot him a reproachful glare.

"Would you stop being so rude, Levi? This is why no one wants to fuse with you." The blonde whispered with an annoyed look on his face.

"It's not like  _I_ wanted to fuse with them." Levi shot back just as irritated with a click of his tongue. Really, why should him not having a Weapon be such a big deal? They got by pretty good even without him having one, didn't they?

"You had a Meister, right? You should know by now." Eld persisted, leaning in. Levi watched the sweat drip down the brunette's slim neck.

"Or were you lying when you told us you were an S class. Or your Meister even?" Levi's tone had gone lower, eyes as sharp as a knife as he eyed the kid critically, finding any sort of confirmation in his body language.

"No! It's just that…" Eren looked at the sharp-eyed male underneath his lashes. There was a blooming color of red on his face as he continued, "Well, my form as a weapon is quite different…"

"Just out with it." Levi was sure that the brat was purposefully keeping them on edge. Fucking S classes.

' _This better be good or so help me, if he says he's a fuckin' gatling canon or some shit like that. I'll shove my knife up his round ass—'_

"Whoever wields me, flies…" Eren finally said, face now calm as he waited for their response. It was so silent, you could hear the noise from next door. And they had soundproof walls.

"What!?" Isabel shouted in surprise as Levi stiffened in his seat, unconsciously leaning closer towards the brunette. The others were later on showing their surprise but even then it wasn't any less. Their exclamations echoed along the room.

"Did I hear that right?" Eld murmured. He subconsciously sat down next to Eren as if doing so would be proof enough.

"Flies?" Levi whispered to himself, quite not believing. There was not yet a weapon that was recorded by the government that enables a Meister to fucking  _fly._ Not even movement in land or water in that matter.

Shifters were also called Weapons for a reason. It's because all Shifters could only shift into a  _weapon_  when a compatible Meister gets into contact with them and there is a sense of agreement between the two.  _Just_  as weapons and gear and nothing else… but  _fly?_

"What do you mean fly?" Levi asked still not believing him although his heart was beating fast in his chest, excitement bubbling up on his stomach.

Wasn't it every man's dream to be able to fly up in the sky? That was why planes were made, right? Even Levi had once dreamed of soaring high up in the clouds when he was a brat. Thought of how the clouds would feel in between his fingers, how they would taste, how wind would feel on his skin.

Living in the underground, the feeling was amplified. Levi'd always yearned for the bright blue sky but then they got above ground and he saw that even a place where the sky was not covered, the sky was just as constricted.

"Do you mean that? Like, fly  _fly._  You know, zooming in the air and all that shit?" The raven couldn't quite stop the shiver in his voice.

"Yes." Eren answered with a bright smile. The reaction he'd got was more than he'd expected, he didn't even think that the rude, frosty captain could show such emotions. He was just as human as they were. "Zooming in the air and all that shit."

"The fuck." Levi's back met with the soft leathered seat with a dull thump and like a signal, Isabel practically shouted long and hard in excitement. The rest of the team was gaping at Eren with a face that looked as if the brunette just said he was actually an angel from heaven.

"So, wait," Farlan interrupted, back straight as a rod, "So it's like… a fight or flight mechanism?"

Eren turned to him with an expression that seemed melancholic and happy, all at the same time, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "My Meister also called it like that." He'd murmured, looking down his lap. "But… You'll just have to know yourselves, right?" He had a smug grin painted on his lips when he looked up at them again. A different kind of light shining on his eyes.

"Hmph, smug brat! Just because you've got one hell of a—" Oluo bit his tongue again but others didn't even care as they flocked around the brunette like a bunch of chirping chicks.

Levi tuned them out, mulling over his thoughts as he weighed the pros and cons on his mind.

Now that Levi had thought about it. He remembered the time Eren had answered that he knew about the city abundant with criminal teams but had never heard of any of them. That should have been impossible when Eren was living in the city since everywhere you'd go, there were whispers of a criminal team's name among the people.

"Jaeger. My name's Eren Jaeger." Levi turned to him for a moment. It would seem that they were now getting chummy with him, "And I'm turning seventeen next month…"

Eren didn't say anything else that was useful so he just kept half an ear on their conversation.

Eren could be from the countryside but the city was pretty far from it and the kid's injuries proved that they were recent so that meant that the kidnapping had happened a day ago. It could have even happened as early as this afternoon.

They still didn't have a clue about the other's Meister other than the fact that they were S class. And from the display earlier, Levi wouldn't be able to get any answers from the brunette no matter how many threats he'd give.

How many S class Meisters did Levi see in his whole life in the city, both above and underground? Levi could count them in both hands along with the blonde commander of the Special Forces team.

Maybe one of them? But then again, the raven would have remembered such eyes even in the heat of battle. Not to mention, a weapon that could fucking  _fly._  Levi still couldn't get a hold on that thought. It was too much of a dream. Too much of an impossibility.

Also, why was the security lax? Did they think that the provided security outside would be enough? Wasn't Eren a never-before-seen Shifter? He could  _fly_  for Fuck' sake, Levi would hire a bunch of skilled A class Pairs or an S class pair but  _no,_ they were confident with just  _one_  A class. That also ruled out the fact that Eren's past Meister had any contact in the underworld.

Levi had taken the possibility that Eren was lying but his reactions and facial expressions were proof enough that he was telling the truth. That and the brat had quite the honest and brash personality. Anyone who'd talked with Eren could deduce that easily. His mismatched eyes showed too much.

Silver eyes flittered in Eren's direction; the others were still conversing with him as if he was already a part of their team. Isabel's excitement was already giving him a headache, such shrill voice was just a bitch in the ears and unconsciously, Levi leaned away from her.

Eren didn't even think about what his presence to their team would bring did he? He'd been kidnapped once, who's to say that they wouldn't try again?

And even if they didn't, once Levi fused with Eren and they saw him flying in the air with the fucking birds and all that shit, wouldn't that be like putting a big arrow above their heads and marking themselves good as dead?

Levi wasn't quite sure about what his team thought; those idiots probably thought that they could handle a kidnapper or two.

No matter how enticing having such a super S class weapon, would it really be wise to accept him in their team just like that? Would it really be worth risking his team—one that he'd ever had close to a family—just so this kid could get more information on his enemy?

His eyes skimmed to each of his team's faces and Levi suddenly realized the uncanny silence that befell the room. All eyes were focused on him and they were showing him expressions of nervous excitement but being with them for years now, he immediately recognized what their eyes conveyed…

The acceptance of a challenge.

"Isn't it about time to show those fucking teams how we're the best of all, Captain?" Gunther started, giving him a grin. His Shifter smirked and added, "I've been hearing them talking shit about how we're such cowards and all that shitty comments just because you won't let us kill."

"You know how we've taken down those Pairs in less than five minutes, Captain. You've made sure that we are strong enough out there." Eld continued with his Meister piping in, "We've been ready ever since we took on the name, Rivaille's Squad."

Levi couldn't shake off the feeling that these fuckers were just manipulating him on accepting Eren. In a moment of irritation he shot the brunette a glare which got the other shiver in response.

Isabel and Farlan leaned in close to him and whispered, "Isn't it about time you enjoy the wonders of fusing with a Shifter, bro?"

"And what better Shifter to fuse with other than Eren? There's a fucking SSS class Weapon right there, in front of you. Would you really let it go? You wouldn't find even one S class Shifter in the next hundred years or so that hasn't been taken yet."

Isabel laughed at her Meister's joke while Levi shot the blonde an unimpressed glare. Although in a way that was true. He'd never seen any high class Shifters that weren't bound to a Meister and with the S class being rare, they were more so unavailable. And if what Eren said about him being the same class then he should have already felt an unbound S class Shifter when they were nearby.

With the same excitement roaring in his insides and his heart thudding on his chest, he shot the brunette a smirk—showing his sharp, impressive canines—and agreed.

"You're in."

His team cheered in their own way but Isabel—always the hyperactive redhead—jumped across the table, tackling Eren off the couch and to the ground before proceeding to hug him to death. Petra cried out in concern, prying the hyper redhead off the brunette unsuccessfully.

Farlan frowned and quipped, "Oi, Eren. If you take Isabel from me even your flying capabilities won't get you away from me."

"Oh, don't mind him, Eren." The redhead said, rocking them both.

"Isabel, stop hugging the kid, he looks right about ready to shit his pants." Oluo commented, "Your hug hurts like a bitch."

Isabel gave them the finger, an arm still thrown around the brunette. "It doesn't hurt, right, Eren?" Eren's grimace was answer enough.

"Told—ngh." Oluo bit his tongue again.

When Levi told Eren to get himself cleaned up—punctuated with a heartfelt grimace—they were suddenly reminded that the brunette didn't have any clothes on his person or anything else in that matter except for the key hanging on his neck. The one Eren had been wearing when they found him was already disposed of in Levi's command.

Luckily, Isabel had clothes stored in their office' cabinets so she'd lent her sweatpants to the brunette while Farlan fetched an extra shirt from the car—since Isabel had narrower shoulders—and gave it to him.

Since it was already late at night, they decided to call it a day but not before fussing over their new member. Isabel and Farlan had offered to take Eren back with them but those two  _were_ lovebirds and Eren didn't want to intrude. Eld was with his fiancé while Petra and the rest were still living with their family so Eren had also refused their offers.

So that left Levi, but Eren had croaked that he could just stay in their office—upon seeing the raven's dark frown—but their captain wasn't so heartless as to let the brunette stay in there without even having anything to use for the cold night and by the way his stomach was screaming for food…

Levi could already foresee the troublesome future.

Levi had just pushed him out the door and into his beloved car as an answer and drove them to a nearby convenience store for some dinner. After which he'd drove them to his studio apartment and then cleaned themselves up after agreeing—more like Levi forcing Eren—to go shopping the next day.

* * *

 

Everything was good at first.

They entered a casual clothes shop with Levi handing Eren his credit card then sat himself on a waiting bench and left him to choose. But then minutes pass and he'd thought the fucking kid was squandering his money by buying too much only to find him looking lost and staring at a fucking price tag.

Levi almost crushed the phone on his hand—he'd been playing with it while waiting, don't judge. When asked  _what the fuck_ was he doing, Eren had answered in a lame ass reason as, "This is too much, my Meister said—" Blah blah blah.

Of course, his Meister was to blame again. When would that mysterious person not be mentioned? It was already irritating Levi to no end. The raven could  _almost_ see the tail on his butt and the fluffy ears flat on his head, looking pathetic and shit.

So Levi had taken matters in his hand by just grabbing what he thought would fit the brunette and dumped it on his arms and shouted at him to hurry the fuck up and take those shit on the counter but then Eren just had the audacity to argue with him about things Levi didn't even listen to.

One well timed glare shut the brunette up and made him trudge to the sales lady watching them with amused and slightly concerned eyes.

At least Eren learns fast.

After they were done with the upper clothes—some casual shirts and jackets and a bunch of shirts for training, because Levi did not want to smell sweaty shirts—they went on to training and casual pants.

Levi pointedly sat his ass down on the bench once again after a warning glare to the brunette who'd went off nervously then came back grinning with three pairs of each, along with a pair of sleepwear. They were plain and looked cheap but Levi had chosen a good shop so the quality was assured. Levi's mood had gotten better by the time they went on to shoes.

The last was what made Levi feeling a headache once again: Undies.

Eren was blushing so much, Levi couldn't believe it. At least it was adorable...

Still, Levi almost shouted at him to  _fucking stop,_ not because it was really distracting—hell no—but rather he felt like he's been harassing the brunette but then one glance around the shop got even  _him_ almost blushing like an blubbering idiot.

They bolted out of there soon enough before Levi shamed himself and Eren was laughing his ass off for reasons Levi did  _not_ certainly know.

In retaliation Levi had added a suspicious T-back in Eren's goods when the other was not looking and watched as Eren got red as a fucking baboon's ass all the way to his ears and neck—and probably lower but let's not get down to muddy waters just yet—and tried to explain himself to a similarly flushed sales man holding the item in between two fingers as if it was stained with shit.

Levi's stomach and throat hurt so much from trying to stop his laughter by the time they'd gotten off the store. Eren had glared at him and went ahead to the direction where his silver and black Mustang awaited their return only for Levi to shout after him that he was going the  _other way._

It got the brunette flustered once again as he turned about face and  _ran_ , leaving a raven-haired man leaning on a wall and trying  _so hard_ not to laugh  _again._

When was the last time he'd laugh that much? Levi did not remember. At least, he had one now.

"Haa, so tired." Levi groaned, finally seated in the comfort of his beloved Mustang. The back was now full of shopping bags that could rival a shopaholic's. Eren sat on his side, face red with shame as he stared at his feet. Levi smirked, hand twisting the key in the ignition.

"Th-Thank you, sir, captain, for the clothes but… that is…" Eren murmured uncertainly.

"Where you're staying, right?" Levi asked, voice still a bit scratchy from his laughing session a while ago. He'd already gathered that Eren had no place to return to and it had been proven when he'd asked the brunette that morning.

Eren nodded in confirmation before adding in a harried tone, "I could stay in the office. I'll clean it every day and keep it organized. I swear, sir. I won't touch anything important and I won't snoop around."

Levi kept quiet as he thought even though there really wasn't anything to think of. He'd been thinking that Eren should be staying with him but then again, he liked his solitude and having someone on the office to keep it clean seems like a good deal. But didn't he say himself that he'd be keeping a close eye on Eren?

"I'll keep as quiet as a ghost when you're doing something important…" When Levi still said nothing, Eren offered, "Uhm… I'll make you tea? I'm pretty good with different blends…"

The raven-haired male shrugged his shoulder, "Fine. Doesn't really matter." He declared, pulling the hand break down and getting out of their parking slot after shifting gears. "Guess we'll have to buy you other more things."

But then his mind picked up another thing on the brunette's sentence, "Wait. Why would you think I'd like tea?"

"I saw a lot of them in your kitchen earlier and I just thought you're a tea kind of person?" Eren didn't mention that he'd notice the way his team had acted when they knew of Eren's liking to tea.

"So that makes you an expert in blending tea?" Levi scoffed. Eren was silent for a moment, a hand fiddling with the key underneath Farlan's shirt.

"My mom used to brew me a lot during... Well, we even had a garden full of different leaves." Levi caught his hesitance and that pause was something he took note of.

There was a soft laugh as Eren continued, "Dad tried making me some when mom was out and I needed to drink but he was so shit at it that it made me cry so much. He panicked then cried with me 'til he thought of calling mom back." Levi smiled despite himself. "Dad's a coffee person, you see, since he always pulled all nighters. He drank it as much as he drank water… Or more, well, he loved it. End of story."

"Where are they now?" Somehow, Levi already knew the answer.

"Dead." Eren answered automatically, voice blank. "But it was a long time ago. They told me that they lived a good life… They were just sorry they had to leave me behind so soon."

"…You saw them die?" Levi's hands had stopped from where he was fiddling with the heater.

"Yeah." When Eren pointedly turned his head and stared outside, Levi knew it was the end of their conversation and turned his attention to the road.

They had to take a round trip since his poor car couldn't take much of the things they'd bought. It had consisted of a futon, some bathroom necessities, bags that Eren could use during missions, a mobile phone for Eren, and grocery for Levi.

And of course, Levi had not let the chance pass of making a certain brunette embarrassed once again. He'd been successful in his endeavors so far. Eren must be regretting the fact of even joining their team by then.

Isabel had called once and whined for not being invited in their impromptu shopping spree. Levi merely passed the phone to Eren who had thought it rude to hang up on a person talking so Eren listened to her until she ended her rant, which lasted a good thirty minutes. Levi humored him by applauding him with a bored stare once the brunette hang up. It was only Levi's quick reflexes that they were spared the need to go back and buy a phone again when Eren chucked it at Levi.

They had eaten pizza for lunch while doing their shopping and took out dinner in a fastfood chain. Their rented office was located on the fifth floor of a building. It was popular since it was a building known for housing small security companies. Petra had suggested it just because she found it funny. The others agreed readily enough.

"How was it?" Isabel asked them as soon as they'd arrived.

Farlan was seated on the main desk, a paper on hand and feet up the table with the rest of the team seated in the couch designated for clients. It was designed strictly professional but with the team playing cards and Farlan looking lazy as ever, it looked more like a living room.

Eren dumped the futon he'd been carrying on one side before answering, "It was good…" He pointed at Levi and added, "For him."

The redhead tilted her head curiously, "Eh?"

"He kept embarrassing me in front of people and silently laughing his ass off." Eren certainly did not pout.

"Eh?" This time, it was a chorused sound of confusion as their eyes traveled between the two new arrivals.

Levi ignored them and instead walked towards the door leading to their personal living room and beckoned Eren over. The brunette sighed but did as motioned after taking the futon and the new bag that contained some clothes and bath necessities.

As the door closed behind them, Farlan turned to the others and whispered, "I didn't hear that right did I?"

"He said our captain was embarrassing him." Oluo added, voice cracking. "That's all, right?"

"Did he just say our captain was laughing his ass off?" the strawberry blond was gaping at the closed door.

" _Our_ captain?" Eld and Gunther chorused.

"I've only head bro laugh once... A looong time ago…" The redhead said.

All heads turned towards the closed door when a shout of "I told you, I don't need this!" echoed from the inside and then someone was laughing.

It was muffled but it was definitely low and definitely…

"Captain?!" They unisoned.

* * *

 By the time Levi got home. It was already nine in the evening. Isabel wouldn't stop pestering him about laughing at Eren's face but Farlan was manly enough to handle his fussing girlfriend.

He'd left Eren in the office after making sure that the mini refrigerator was fully stocked along with the water dispenser but by the way Eren had downed all those battles of water in just a few seconds that morning, it was sure to be not enough. Eren was even worse than Isabel was; at least it was only water and not food. Just imagine all that shit…

Levi cut off his thoughts as a shiver crawled up his spine. He was eating later for shi—Fuck' sake.

Anyway, Levi could just order more in the morning to be delivered in the office. He'd also left a lot of bottled green tea and some other tea leaves from his own stock so Eren will be fine.

Shrugging off his coat, Levi pushed the television open and immediately, the voice of a woman talking about the rollback of gas prices started in the background. He went to his small dinner table and set up his take out by transferring it into a clean plate and taking a hold of his own spoon and fork. Like hell he'd be using those plastic utensils.

Sitting down, his hands pushed food into his mouth automatically as his thoughts flew back to the brunette he'd left in their office.

Levi had noticed that Eren was also not much of a people guy. He'd been quiet most of the time while they were out and had left Levi to talk to people which the raven did grudgingly, just because he had seen the way Eren eyed the man who'd offered him free taste with suspicion and the way his body tensed up for a fight. He had even looked at the Pair of police that was walking by the same way as if they were fakes.

Eren also kept looking this way and that as if expecting someone to suddenly jump at them, most probably because of the time when they were running away. Levi liked that Eren was on the alert although how Eren acted left much to be desired.

He'd been too jerky, looked around too much, and eyed everyone as if they were going to take a bite on his ass.

Overall, Eren wasn't being so discreet about his actions.

It was one of the reasons that Levi had made pranks on him to see if he'll notice before it was too late, he never did in all of Levi's six tries. It just proved how stealthy Levi was and how embarrassing Eren was now Levi's new past time. The other was to take Eren's mind off their conversation from earlier.

No matter, Levi was going to train him from then on.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly getting the hang of things. But I still find myself getting stuck on random scenes. Like what am I gonna do next? How do I explain this or when will this character appear...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, this is fantasy. So I might have tweaked the 3DMG a bit for my own... Sorry, Isayama-sama...

Early morning found them on their private training ground.

It was a huge gym—one that was as huge as a basketball court—located somewhere near their office and concealed underground because of their Bomb duo. It was one of the first things they’d invested in, once they’d moved up the city and racked up enough money for it.

There were public training grounds scattered all over the country that the government had allocated for the citizens but for obvious reasons, they didn’t use those.

The whole team was with them except for Gunther and Oluo since they were on a mission and were mature enough to know that they could still fucking see Eren’s other form some other time or to be specific, _in a few hours_. They were even more excited than Levi was from the way they were practically staring at them with tense eyes rather than training themselves.

Well, not that he could blame them.

“This should be good enough.” Eren called out to him from where he was seated on the floor tying his shoes—which was completely unnecessary but Levi insisted—as his eyes looked around then into the ceiling and stayed there as if calculating the height. “It’s pretty high but let me take control for now to be sure. Wouldn’t want to have your whole team after my ass because you cracked your head on the ceiling like a nut.”

Levi frowned, there were a lot of things he’d like to comment in there but he settled for the most important, “What do you mean ‘take control’? I thought you Shifters wouldn’t be able to control anything aside from restoring weapons or some other shit like that?”

Eren looked at him confused, “What are you talking about?” Eren suddenly squeaked before adding, “I mean! Well, I’m quite different you see and the flying thing, It’s not actually a weapon but a gear so…Wait, how long has it been since you last fused? Have you fused at all?”

“It’s been like ten years?” Isabel shouted from the side, “Big bro won’t fuse with anyone. Says it leaves a bad feeling on his stomach.”

Levi clicked his tongue then he saw the way Eren looked at him as if he _knew_ how that felt. The raven found himself confused once again.

“How old are you?” Eren asked curiously. Levi didn’t want to answer but shrugged his shoulders and answered anyway, “Twenty nine.”

Eren hummed before standing up. “That’s a very long time. Well then, whenever you’re ready, Captain.” Levi faltered for a minute; Eren seemed more accepting than he looked.

Walking into the center, Eren stood in front of him and waited for his signal. Levi took a deep breath before finally offering a hand to the brunette, who took it gently and with one last glance towards Levi, closed his pretty eyes.

There was a tugging at his chest but… Nothing happened.

Levi turned to look at their spectators, they looked just as confused as he was, when he turned his silver eyes towards the one he’d supposed to have fused with, Levi was met with a frowning Eren.

“You won’t let me in.” Eren accused, lips tilted downwards as he eyed Levi with his mismatched eyes. Levi frowned back.

“What?”

There was a sigh on their side before Farlan’s exasperated voice informed him, “Levi… It must be because you don’t trust him enough. Or you won’t open the connection.”

Eren’s hand slipped from his and he turned his head back to him. Eren looked disappointed and there was a pang of guilt somewhere on his insides, which was definitely impossible. Why should he feel guilty when he had no reason to _trust_ this brat? Eren trusting him was no reason, was it?

“I know you still can’t trust me,” Eren started with his head still hanging, “But everything I told you about me is the truth. Just… I can’t tell you anything about my Meister. They’re important to me and I don’t want to put them in any more trouble…”

The last was whispered lowly but Levi was listening to him raptly for him to not hear. Eren turned his mismatched eyes to him making the silver-eyed man freeze on the spot.

“What happened is something I don’t like and I should have left them when I had the chance but I’ve been _selfish._ I didn’t want to let go of my happiness and in turn they suffered for it.”

 Eren’s voice cracked and somewhere in the middle, Levi watched a tear fall down his vibrant green eye but Eren swiped it just as fast and with a steadied voice continued.

“I’m probably being selfish again for doing this but… But you were…” Eren hesitated, eyes shifting to where the rest of the team was listening, “You _live_ in this kind of world. And it’s not like I’m going to leave you or your team. I’ll serve you to the best of my abilities and provide you with the _best_ weapon and gear. I’ll stay as long as you’d let me. So… Please?”

Silver eyes turned to look at the side for a moment for no reason other than the intensity of those eyes, it bore on him worst than any kicks or punches his body had suffered. Sighing once he shifted his eyes back to the hunched form of the brunette.

He’d known that already. Didn’t Eren tell them the reason as to why he’d like to join their team? Eren was honest with them right from the beginning so what was holding Levi back from fusing with him? Levi didn’t do a thing to trigger such emotions in him. Quite the contrary actually, he’d acted cold and rude and even though he knew that it was Farlan who’d started the fight, Levi still sided with the blonde. Levi didn’t like thinking over things especially if it had something to do with feelings since he’d always fuck that up.

Levi knew that he wasn’t one to trust people right off the bat. Hell, he wasn’t one to _help_ people easily but this kid forced him to do those things for him. He’d let Eren stay on their office because there was nothing important in there. It was nothing more than a place where they could safely conduct business transactions and even that was already too much kindness on a stranger he only first met but he’d let Eren on his _home_ —the home only Farlan and Isabel had been able to enter but the others only knew of—and even managed to sleep on the same room as a brat he’d met for only a few hours.

The raven-haired man knew though, that it was those eyes. The fire, the conviction, the unrelenting will that he saw in those beautiful but creepy eyes of his that made Levi want to help him.

But most of all, it was the fact that Eren had submitted to Levi so easily.

 _Offered_ to fuse with him although he didn’t even know who he was and what he looked like; _trusted_ him right from their _first_ meeting and if that wasn’t enough it was under _such_ circumstances. 

Levi didn’t know how that was possible but Eren had confessed and there was no ounce of lie in those words. Any other people would take one glance at Levi and look at him with sneers and build their defenses as high as their fucking ego.

Eren had bet everything to Levi right from the start. And that might have been quite the heavy burden to anyone else but he found himself not caring.

So what _was_ holding him back?

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Levi started, surprising the brunette in front of him. “I do. In a way. I just don’t know how to open the connection.” It wasn’t much of a lie but it wasn’t also much of a truth. “Just give me a minute.”

And with that he turned on his heel and left the brunette, looking lost and dejected, behind him.

* * *

 

“So what is it really?” Of course, Farlan would follow him out. And from the soft footsteps following behind him, Isabel was not too far behind.

“I just saw a drama in real life.” Isabel whispered teasingly. Both males ignored her.

“…I can’t open the connection.” Levi reluctantly answered. The two lovers glanced at each other before leaning on the wall on both sides of him.

“Then what’s holding you back? You said you trust him and we believe it. The way you act around him is shocking enough for us.” Farlan seemed very curious.

Silver eyes narrowed at the dirty ground before him before he tightened his crossed arms and spat, “I dunno. Do you think I’d be out here if I knew?”

They were silent for a moment before Isabel finally opened her mouth again, “Is it because of his mysterious Meister?”

Levi’s eyes widened in shock. Why should Isabel’s apparent wisdom always come out in such situations? But that was actually a food for his thoughts but still, “Why would you think that?”

“Ehh?” Isabel tilted her head to one side, looking just as confused as Levi felt, “I thought maybe you’re like Farlan. You know; possessive and such or something.”

Said blonde groaned but otherwise said nothing. Levi kept his gaze hard on Isabel’s, who gulped but continued, “Remember back then when we were still unbound and he saw me fuse with Petra because she wanted to see my normal form?” Levi nodded his head, “Farlan saw it and for a few days we were having a hard time fusing because apparently he’d been jealous. So yeah…”

Levi thought that they were merely having a lover’s spat back then. He told himself to try and involve himself to any other suspicious matters from then on especially since these were Farlan and Isabel.

“Fusing is a very mysterious affair and a lot of things could hinder the connection.” Farlan added softly and after a moment of silence, asked, “So is it?” Levi merely nodded his head.

It was true that the matter of Eren’s past Meister was bugging him. Perhaps that’s why? Then how the hell would he be able to fuse with the brat now when Eren wouldn’t even tell him anything about them?

“Well, it would be easy. You just have to accept it and then try opening the connection again.” Farlan concluded, pushing off the wall and walking back inside and into the underground training room, “Try talking to Eren again, you know, make some deal or something. It actually helps.”

“Come on, Levi!” Isabel tugged on his arms excitedly, “Just make him promise to tell you some day in the future. With the way things are between you two, I don’t think it would take long!” She chirped softly. Levi sighed and together they followed after Farlan.

* * *

 

When they got inside, Eren was stretching his limbs while watching Petra and Eld train on hand to hand combat not too far off from him. Levi watched him for a moment as Eren’s body twisted this way and that without difficulty before calling out to the brunette. Petra and Eld paused to look at their captain before glancing at the other two who just got inside, they returned to sparring.

“Promise me something, Eren.” Levi intoned, once Eren neared him. The other watched him curiously before motioning for him to go on, “Promise me that you’d tell me everything. I don’t care if it’s now or weeks later but you _must_ tell me. If you do, then I think we wouldn’t have any problems fusing.”

The look on Eren’s face showed his confusion but it melted soon enough. It was the first time he’d seen Eren smile so brightly, until now it was only ever nervous or polite smiles. And was it possible that his eyes looked brighter and more beautiful now? Yes. Yes, it is.

“Of course, sir! I’d been planning on it!” Eren shouted at Levi’s face, making their captain frown. Eren shot him a sheepish grin before adding in a much calmer voice, “But of course it might take time since it’s practically my whole life you’d like to know so…”

“Your Meister is your whole life?” Levi asked incredulously. Suddenly, he felt as if there was another problem.

“Uh, no! But it kinda starts from there? My whole life had always been about my status as an S class you see…” Eren rubbed the back of his neck before turning on his heel and going back in position. “Well then shall we?”

Levi stopped him by grabbing his wrist and tugging him closer by reaching a hand on Eren’s throat. Pulling the other’s head back, Levi whispered directly in the other’s ear in a tone that held dangerous promise, “Just know this, Eren. Once you betray us. I’ll _hunt_ you down and make you regret ever using us, understood?”

Levi had used his threatening voice and many a man had shuddered in fright upon hearing it but Eren—one who’d taken a direct hit— merely met his gaze head on and it was Levi who’d actually shuddered. Meeting those eyes with nothing more than an inch of space between them was dangerous.

“Yes, sir! I, myself, don’t like being lied to, so you can expect me not to lie to you nor betray you in anyway. I did start this myself and I’d see it through til the end.”

They held their eyes for a long moment before Levi finally nodded his head in satisfaction. Letting go of Eren’s wrist, the raven took off his shoes and walked to the center, “Alright, let’s try again.”

They walked back to the middle of the gym and with both taking a deep breath, held hands once more.

It took some time and for a moment, Levi thought he couldn’t open the connection but then he felt the tugging on his chest and the comforting warmth on his hand intensified. In a moment of curiosity, he lifted his eyelids just in time to see Eren be enveloped in a swirling color of green and blue.

He stared entranced; it looked like a shimmering lake hidden deep in a verdant forest, but most importantly it was the same beautiful color as Eren’s mismatched eyes. The light intensified and with a firmer grip on Levi’s hand and a faint smile on his lips, Eren disappeared in a flash of light.

Levi was blinded momentarily but when he heard someone whistle on the side, he opened them again to see that his eyes were covered in dark shades, and when he went to take it off, he noticed two swords—thin but sturdy and sharp—gripped firmly in his hands which—oh was he so glad to know—were covered in dark half gloves trimmed in vibrant green linings and the small icon of overlapping wings of white and green, plastered on the center.

Passing one sword on his other hand, he reached up once again and looked at his sunglasses. They were actually sports glasses with a very small icon of the same wings on the upper corners. Keeping it on his hand, he looked at his formerly white tank top now layered with a dark green button-up shirt and a dark long-sleeved jacket that went down to his knees. There was a leather belt strapped across his chest.

His legs, on the other hand, were covered in dark fitted pants but he’d found that they didn’t hinder his movement, actually it felt as if he wasn’t wearing any. He found it amazing that his dexterity was not withheld by such comfortable and warm clothing. Around his waist were two criss-crossing leather belts that held oddly-shaped bullets for the guns strapped on both his thighs.

The aforementioned guns, however, looked like any other normal gun except for its beautiful lining of brilliant gold and the same icon of wings. They were held by two parallel leather straps just like the small intricately carved knifes strapped on both his arms.His feet were now covered in knee-high battle boots with small belt straps decorating the side; they looked heavy but they were actually light as a feather.

What he found curious the most was the small device attached at his hip and was just about at the small of his back. There were two cylinders on each side and something that looked like a small three-headed arrow stuck off-center, the same ones on each side of his hip.

With a smirk, Levi thought, _‘Eh, Not bad.’_

 _“Father called it maneuver gear.”_ Levi flinched when he heard Eren’s voice in his head. _“So, I take it that you liked it?”_

 _“How the hell can you talk to me?”_ Levi said in lieu of answering. _“I thought we can’t converse unless we’re bound?”_ He didn’t like the fact that there was someone who could read his thoughts. Still Levi repeated the name on his mind.

 “What’s wrong, Captain?” Petra asked when they saw the deep frown on his face. “Do you not like it?”

 _“Don’t worry.You’ll know how to block me from your mind soon but for now, it’s best that you don’t keep me out. I’ll have to assist you in handling me besides I can only hear what you say directly to me.”_ Eren assured him. Levi nodded his head but remembered their connection so he relayed his agreement in his mind.

_“I’m counting on you then, Eren.”_

_“Leave it to me, Captain!”_ Levi imagined the bright smile that he saw moments ago but then had to immediately clear his thoughts when he heard a squeak on his mind. He knew through intuition.

“Eren’s talking to me.” Levi told them causing Petra to gasp. He needed to learn how to block Eren fast.

“Really?! That’s actually rare!—well not really, but in your first fusion?! It either means you trust each other too much or the connection is that strong or you two are bound. But we already all know that you two aren’t bound so it’s either the other two.” Petra glanced at his Shifter with a smile, “How long did it take the two of us, Eld? Two months? Three?”

“More or less two?” Eld answered, unsure. Petra and Eld were not bound—mostly due to Eld’s fiancé—just like Gunther and Oluo.

“If their connection is so strong then why didn’t it work the first time around?” Farlan questioned no one in particular.

“Does it matter?” Isabel frowned at them before continuing in a much excited voice, “Big bro! You look mighty cool! I wanna try that too!”

 _“Well, there you go.”_ Eren chirped a bit too happy. _“So you liked it, right?”_

_“Yes. Now shut up.”_

_“Since this is our first time fusing, I didn’t hold back anything.”_ The two fused pair continued their conversation while the rest talked. “ _The shoes and clothes are slash resistant and shock-proof so you don’t need to worry about falling too hard from the sky and even if you did I’ll catch you.”_

Levi hummed, impressed.

“You know you can’t Isabel. You’re a Shifter like Eren.” The blonde told his redhead girlfriend.

“I know!” Isabel harrumphed, “I’m just saying since it looks really cool, especially those wings! You can’t see it big bro but there are huge overlapping wings at your back!”

“Yeah.” Eld agreed, “It not only fits Eren but Captain as well. Although there are quite a lot of belts.” Levi saw him counting under his breath.

“Well, like she said, does it matter? It looks magnificent.” The strawberry blonde interjected.

“They are all useful.”Levi commented out loud as he motioned for them to be quiet. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to let the team hear them and they were sure to ask questions, anyway. He looked at his three different weapons, “I’m amazed there are weapons for short and long range combat. Is this really how it is with S class weapons?”

 _“I’m not sure but I did see another Pair with the same short and long range weapons._ ” Eren answered.

Levi watched as his weapons disappear in shimmering lights of green and blue and while that was not a surprise, his jacket going shorter and changing to just half his torso was.

_“You don’t need the long coat for now or would you prefer that?”_

“No. This is fine.” Levi verified, “It’s pretty cool that you could manipulate the battle gear as well.”

“S class are so cool.” Someone remarked at their side.

 All Levi got was a soft laugh, _“Also, kick your feet.”_

Levi did so and along with it, a blade came out at the tip of his boots. “Oh?” He muttered to himself, smirking. Those would be helpful when they were caught and bound. Not to mention, a good surprise weapon.

“Fight or flight, indeed.”

 _“Yup.”_ Levi heard the smile on Eren’s lips, _“Kick it backwards. It does the same. You could also use it as a throwing or in this case kicking weapon. So they also work long-range. It could go off in command.”_

Levi did and just as Eren said, another sharp blade came out from the back. Kicking his foot forward, a blade went flying off the distance. It was so sharp that it sunk into the wall without even making a sound. Levi whistled impressed which Eren mirrored on his mind.

 _“It’s great that you could do that on the first try.”_ The raven merely smirked in response.

“Wow. How the hell... Don’t tell me there’s one in the gloves as well? ” Isabel was really curious. She even approached them to look at it clearly which Levi allowed her. “Eren! You’re much cooler than I am!” She exclaimed in awe as she tried to touch the blade with a finger and watched blood pour out until Farlan hissed at her.

Eren’s laugh echoed on the raven’s mind. _“There isn’t and please tell her thank you. Although I could provide more for you as long as you’d need them on hand.”_

“He said there aren’t and thank you.” Levi relayed. He was starting to get attached to his Shifter’s capabilities.

Isabel grinned brightly, “You’re welcome!”

 _“What would you like to do first?”_ Eren asked. Levi already knew without even knowing what sort of Weapon Eren was. There was a chuckle and the Meister knew his Shifter read his mind, _“That’s right. I’m your Shifter, Captain. So don’t think of anything else. Alright, let’s fly first. Go to the furthest side.”_

Levi kept his face coolly detached but he didn’t quite manage with the way his lips stretched to a small smile, he’d turned around fast enough to hide it. Why the hell was he so adamant about not having a Shifter again? It all looked silly now that he was Paired.

 “We’re going flying first. Oh and by the way, this is called a maneuver gear.” Levi said to his team as his finger tapped the device, now at full view, at his back.

 _“Flying is actually all about how you’d like it to move. All you have to do is_ think _although you’ll have to be used to it to do so.”_ Eren informed him. Levi listened to him raptly, “ _Wish for it to move the way you’d want to especially during combat. You could use it as an attack boost or to evade quickly. But before that, I’m going to control it and let you get the hang of going from one place to another and being airborne.”_

“Understood.”

 _“We’ll go slowly first. Take one step forward, keep you other foot firmly support you at the back and bend slightly. Good just like that and now, jump lightly.”_ Levi did as told. He heard the faint whistle of wind at his back and he was being pushed forward. He’d landed with a soft thump on the center of the gym in just four seconds.

 _“See? The force is surprising when you’re not used to it but soon, you’ll be able to go at it with ease.”_ His shifter said comfortingly. Levi nodded, looking down at his feet then back to where he was just seconds ago.

The team exclaimed in surprise but what made Levi look back was when he heard Oluo’s, “Oh shit!” The hammer combo stood on the door, looking at him with wide eyes. Levi was more surprised that they took such short time to finish their mission. Either they were that good or they were not as mature as Levi would like to think…

“Oh hey! Just in time to see our lucky Captain fly!” Petra teased, “Although you didn’t see all his cool weapons. Eh, sucks to be you.”

“Hey! You’re only here because this idiot wanted to look cool in front of you and volunteered to go on the mission!” Gunther exclaimed, shooting his nervous Shifter a glare.

 _“How did that feel.”_ Levi turned his attention back to Eren.

“Is that really the slowest?”

 _“Not really but do you think you’ll get the hang of it?”_ Eren seemed a bit worried.

“Of course. Who do you think I am.” Levi smugly replied.

His shifter chuckled, _“Alright, Captain. Let’s do that again.”_

“You can just call me, Levi.”

 _“…Alright… Levi.”_ Levi heard the way Eren repeated his name over and over again. It spurred Levi on, in a way he couldn’t understand.

After an hour, Levi finally got the hang of it. He definitely didn’t feel smug when Eren commented that he got it faster than his former Meister. He glanced at his team and found them finally focusing on their own training but occasionally glancing over to his direction.

They turned to sharp turns afterwards and Levi conquered that easily enough and soon Eren gave Levi the control to the maneuver gear.

He managed quite well on the forward boosts but not as fast when going on sharp turns.

Levi kept bumping on the wall or pausing midflight and then falling down his feet. Sometimes he’d go too fast or too slow, other times he’d move jerkily causing him to almost collide with Gunther but Eren managed to stop him in time so he ordered his team to stay on the other side to avoid any accidents.

By the time they stopped for another break, it was already lunchtime. Levi went to the installed bathroom to change clothes since they’ll be there the whole day and he’d sweat enough that it was bothering him even though Eren had also disintegrated the jacket while he was training.

 Petra had bought with her, home cooked meals along with Gunther and Isabel, so there were more than enough for all of them. Those three knew how to cook after all with Isabel having been taught by Petra during their free time—only Petra and Levi would know but Isabel had been worrying about not being able to take care of Farlan like a good wife would. Their relationship was that strong.

Levi took a seat by the bench against the wall and stretched his feet. Now that he’d cooled down, his body was sore all over and his head a little woozy from being airborne and then going fast from one place to another. Eld passed him over a lunchbox along with steel utensils which he accepted with a murmured thank you. It was then that he noticed that Eren wasn’t anywhere in their circle.

He turned towards his team, the corner of his lips dipping down, “Where’s Eren?”

“Oh yeah, where’s Erenyan?” Isabel said in between chewing. No matter how many times they’d scolded her for her eating habits, she never listened so they—More like Levi—learned to stay as far away as possible to prevent being sprayed by half chewed food.

“He’s most probably outside to get some fresh air, Levi. Stop frowning so much.” Farlan sighed, throwing him a cold water bottle from the cooler next to him and Levi just remembered the bottles of green tea he’d bought with him that were probably now swimming in melted ice.

“He’s outside, captain.” The strawberry blonde informed him as she set a few food containers on the spread out clothe. “I passed him by when I took these from the car. Said he needed some fresh air.”

“I’m not frowning.” Levi hissed, standing up. “Did you give him any food, yet? I’m going to where he is.”

Gunther passed him a large packed lunch, “Not yet, are you going to eat upstairs?”

“If he’d like.” The raven refused the offered lunch and started to walk towards the door, “I’ll come get it if he wants to eat there.”

“Eh! Why won’t he eat with us?” Isabel garbled, mouth stuck on a glass of orange juice.

“Are you even listening?” Farlan growled, shoving a piece of meat on her mouth to shut her up. She gladly obliged, attention now focused solely on food.

Eren was seating on the ground, looking up the sky when Levi found him. The sun was already at its peak and it was only thanks to the buildings around that Eren was saved from the heat of the sun but the cars now packed on the parking area in front of them wasn’t. Levi approached him and immediately, mismatched eyes turned to look at him.

“Hey.” Levi greeted, leaning on the wall next to the brunette and handed him a cool bottle of green tea, it was only luck that they were still cool. “What are you doing here?” Levi asked just to start a conversation.

“Thank you… It was suffocating down there.” Eren confessed, turning his eyes towards the sky. Levi watched the way his nimble fingers twisted the cap, before looking up as well. There was a clear sky today.

“Suffocating, huh.” Levi muttered under his breath. He understood the feeling very well but he learned to accept it. Adaptability was a must in living underground. In living, really. That was why they were what they are now.

“What do you think?” Eren asked scarcely but Levi knew what he was talking about.

“Great. I now understand what you meant when you said I could handle you.” Levi drawled.

Eren chuckled, “Yeah, it’s only thanks to your long experience and great body coordination that you could go so fast in training. I knew you could do it.”

Levi hummed, trying to keep his pride from swelling too much, “I can only take sharp turns by kicking a foot but how the hell would I do that while flying? Is that the weakness?”

Eren turned to him with a small smile, “Yep. But remember,” Eren tapped the sides of his slim hip, “Those grappler hooks may be small but they are very proficient. You use those to turn around or making sharp turns while flying although while in a chase it may leave a crumb trail but we’ll be fast and by the time they found us. We’ll already be out of their asses.”

Levi watched him from his peripheral. The way he’d talked just proved how he already sees himself as a member of their team. Eren even sees himself as being on the same mission as them already. Levi felt very reassured by that and if Levi wasn’t the man he was, there would be a goofy grin on his face but luckily he was born with a face that looked generally bored with life.

“That’s very good to hear then.” Eren nodded, fingers playing with the already empty bottle on hand. Levi silently gave him another one which Eren took with bright eyes.

“Thank you! I started with boosting since it’s the harder and most important part, seeing as we’d be fighting down the ground most of the time but once you’ve handled the maneuver gear down below then it would be easier to use it up above where it’s actually used for.” Eren grinned, eye crinkling cute;y, “Although there are still a lot of tricks I’d teach you once you finish boosting but you’ll be able to handle it easily.”

Really, Levi didn’t know how Eren could say such words so easily. Didn’t Eren feel embarrassed at all? Flinging praises left and right making _Levi_ flustered on the inside. There was only so much Levi could take in a day.

“How long did your past Meister take in boosting?” Levi blurted unconsciously to steer away the conversation. He was ready for the silence that comes with it but Eren surprised him by answering him that it took them a more than a month.

The brunette looked up at him and commented, “Don’t look so surprise. I could tell you anything else about my Meister but not anything that could reveal who they are…”

“How long do you think it would take me?” Levi asked just because he felt like it.

Eren tilted his head in thought before answering, “Two weeks? Give or take a few days?”

Levi smirked, “You overestimate me.”

Eren actually laughed softly at him as he stretched his long limbs. It popped as he did so. “No. _You_ underestimate yourself.”

“How can you be so sure?” Levi shot back with a slender eyebrow raised, “You haven’t seen me fight yet have you?”

Eren’s brown hair bounced softly as he shook his head, “You really had been quite deprived in fusing.”

“You make it sound like sex.” Levi smirked in triumph when he finally made Eren blush. Payback’s a bitch.

“God, I swear you’re like my friend. Always with the innuendos but _you_ make it sound more sexual.” Eren scratched at his flushed cheeks.

Levi leaned down and, making his voice lower than they were, whispered directly on Eren’s ear, “Must be the voice.”

The brunette jerked away from his so fast he’d almost toppled down the ground. His face was as red as Farlan’s shirt while his hand covered his assaulted ear, watching him with wide eyes. Levi only smirked in response as he looked down at him. The brunette stood up and dusted himself but not after glaring at the smug male, grinning beside him.

“As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me. You and I are of the same body when we’re fused. I could read your thoughts and feel what you feel. That’s how I _knew_ that you could do it in such a short time.” Eren turned to him with a smile; cheeks still dusted pink from a while ago, “That and I believe in you.”

Levi didn’t say anything, feeling that same warm feeling he’d felt when they’d fused. His team had always told him the same lines but none of them ever had the same effect as this brunette did. Was it because they were practically strangers? Or was being a Pair already affecting him that much? But hadn’t he felt this even before they even fused?

Levi stared confused at the retreating back of Eren. He really was one complex creature.

* * *

 

In the week that followed, Levi and his team had gotten more missions. They were easy enough that one of the Pairs could finish it by themselves while the other missions were on hold since they would take planning and observing. Levi had once taken Eren on a surveillance task, it turned out fine and Levi was confident that Eren could go by himself in the next but Levi had no plans on doing that just yet. Levi had yet to train Eren to his standards after all.

 “Is there anything in particular that I’d need to know?” Levi asked, not even looking up from where he was busy making his tea. They were at the office while the others were out surveying the places their future missions would be held.

Eren paused from where he was mopping the floor and shot Levi a confused stare, “Come again?”

“For training…” The raven-haired man turned his head and clarified, “You, I mean.”

Eren made a sound that said he understood, “I’m not much of a shooter? Hm… What else?” Eren murmured to himself settling his chin on top of the mop’s handle, “My Meister taught me hand to hand combat and they told me that I was pretty good at it so that’s all?” The brunette smiled at him sheepishly, resuming his task.

“ _Former_ Meister.” Levi called out, unconsciously. The mop stopped abruptly, Eren turned to him with wide mismatched eyes.

“Ah… Y-yes… Technically…” Eren stammered, going back to scrubbing with flushed cheeks.

Clearing his throat, Levi immediately steered the conversation, “Shooting is not much of a challenge, all you have to do is point and shoot but as for your hand to hand abilities, I’ll be the judge of it.”

“Right.” Eren acquiesced.

They were silent as Eren fumbled around to clean the office while Levi watched him with bored eyes as he sat on the couch, sipping his steaming tea.

Roaming his silver eyes on the quiet room, he started, “I never liked staying here, lazing around when I could be out there doing something productive.”

Eren paused yet again from where he was now busy with organizing papers and files. He looked at Levi with apologetic eyes, “Sorry, learning how to handle me takes a lot of time…”

“It’s not you. It’s bound to happen sooner or later, me finding a Shifter.” Levi admonished him softly. “I would have taken my time to make myself efficient with handling a Shifter even if it wasn’t you. Besides in the long run, everything would have been worth it. You are very much  a treasure. Accepting you on the team is the greatest decision I’ve made yet.”

Eren flushed all the way to his neck and ears and Levi drunk it all up with his silver eyes. After a moment he said with a fond tone, “You have a very good team.”

“They are.” Levi replied, a similar smile faint on his lips.

Eren shook his head, “I didn’t mean it just like that. I also meant that… That you are all like a family.” Levi shifted his eyes from his steaming cup to the back of the brunette.

“…They are.” Levi repeated, eyes staring at the other’s back.

Their conversation died again as Eren finished up his cleaning. Levi never was good at striking up conversations without unconsciously hitting a nerve but at least Eren wasn’t so skirmish around him anymore like he was the past days when they were alone. It might have something to do when Levi shouted at him for his crappy cleaning but eh, all was good. And like he said, Eren was a first learner and now he hadn’t seen the office as sparkling as it was now that the brunette was there. And had he meant that literally or…

Eren was sat on the couch in front of him, Levi stood up to prepare some tea for him to take his mind off dangerous things as well as refilling his own then Eren suddenly started talking, “It was a wonder for me why you easily accepted with me living here. You didn’t even ask _why_.”

Levi didn’t ask because he already had a hunch. Where that came from, he didn’t know. Shrugging his shoulders, he answered honestly, “I just had a hunch.”

Eren stared at him for a second before looking back down, “What’s your full name?”

“Levi Ackerman.” The raven answered readily enough. It was only fair after all. Now that he thought of it, he was the only one not properly introduced, huh?

There was recognition in his voice as Eren repeated, “Ackerman?”

“Yeah, why?” The raven was certainly curious.

“Ah no. I just heard it somewhere before…” Eren didn’t elaborate and Levi didn’t ask. There were Ackerman’s out there and even if they were blood rated to him he didn’t give a shit. The only family he had was the people on his team. Although it was curious.

When Levi was finished preparing their drinks, he settled it down in front of Eren while he sat down beside the brunette. There was a moment of silence before the other spoke up.

“Remember when I said that I saw my parents die?” Levi nodded, it’s not like he could easily forget that. And besides he didn’t know much about Eren so everything was pretty easy to remember. “It happened a few years back. I would have died as well but I managed to escape and then my Meister—former Meister saved me and took me in. It was small and cramp and smelled suspicious unlike yours but I was happy.” Eren laughed as his eyes stared upfront, he looked as if he was seeing the ghost of his former Meister standing on that open space.

Levi merely watched him, his tea remaining untouched at the table. Now that Eren was actually opening up to him, he couldn’t help but ask himself again as to why Eren trusted him right from the start.

Eren started again and the raven listened raptly even as his head started aching, “We couldn’t even sleep without accidentally kicking each other. They shared their food with me even though they practically had nothing, they taught me a lot of things and we practically did everything together.

“There was never a time that we weren’t with each other’s company. Our friends told us that we were practically glued to the hip with how close we were even outside but really, it was just because we got used to living in that small apartment and having to stick close to each other.

“But what I liked most was when we trained. They’d always laugh and shout as we flew in the air…” Eren smiled sadly before continuing, “Even if it’s just an illusion, I wanted them to feel free even if I myself don’t know it.”

Eren paused and finally looked at him. The expression on his face gave Levi a sense of déjà vu, “But then they found us. _Those fuckers_. They chased us everywhere and we couldn’t sleep properly in fear that they’d ambush us but then others found us and we had to fight. It was good at first because they were fucking bad ass and they wielded me as if I’m part of their body. It felt good but then I found myself getting weaker since I never got proper rest. And… you know what happened.”

The raven didn’t know what to say. He was shit at this, where was Farlan and Isabel when you needed them, those little shits. Levi was just thankful that Eren wasn’t crying, he would have probably made the same choice as the kid’s dead father—except the crying part, for shit’s sake—and called those two.

But now he understood. It’s not just about Eren’s need as a Shifter that he was so attached to his Meister but also the fact that he was fucking _saved_ by them. How can Levi top that? Yes, he saved Eren—in a way and not without the brunette pleading—and was now satisfying Eren’s Shifter pride but what Levi said about his Meister being Eren’s whole life was actually not off the bat. But wait—why would he feel the need to outweigh Eren’s former Meister? What the fuck was he even thinking?

“But I know they’re alive. They promised me.” Eren whispered more to himself as he encased the steaming mug with his hand, it must have burnt.

Levi watched him silently, head spinning from his own confusing thoughts before finally scooting closer. Gently, he took Eren’s reddening hands and took some wet wipes from below the table.

“If you say so, then they must be.” Levi didn’t even know what he was saying; his voice was tight with nerves. “Stop wracking your brain with it and just do what you feel you’d regret less.” Levi was a man of action and that was what he’d probably do.

Eren silently repeated his words before commenting with a wide smile, “You’re right, Captain—Levi. And I definitely don’t regret being here with you.”

Levi lifted his cup to his lips, concealing the smile that threatened to show.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the reviews and the kudos :)
> 
> There's more to Eren than just that but it'll take us a few more chapters before the mystery is revealed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look who's decided to make an appearance!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think being sassy is an inborn talent. 
> 
> I can't form a sassy enough reply so there you go. Lame ass comebacks for the win, lol.
> 
> I actually have a lot of sassy replies but then I remembered.
> 
> It must be in fucking english.

Silver eyes watched as Gunther tried to heave himself up but failing and with a flash of orange light, Oluo appeared on his side looking just as tired.

"Captain, can't you hold back just a bit? You even managed to force us apart." Oluo sighed in irritation but his smile conveyed otherwise, "You alright there, Gunther?"

The pointy-haired male grunted before sitting up and grinning at their accomplished and a little bit smug-looking captain, "Good match, Captain! You and your Shifter work together way too well."

"This is cheating!" Isabel cried from where she was nursing a battered blonde. They'd been fighting them before Gunther and Oluo. Having both a short- and long-range Pair in the team was great training for them and he's seen just how sturdy those blades were.

Even managing to hold against the heavy weight of Oluo's hammer or slicing Isabel's bomb before it goes off. It was great and the extreme durability and sharpness of it was just unbelievable that even he himself could be cut if he wasn't careful, thankfully, what Eren just said about his gear being slash-proof was real. Just how far would Eren surprise him with all these things?

"I'm going to get you for this, Levi." Farlan threatened, touching the slices on his arm with a careful finger, blood was still pouring out. "Who said you could throw those knifes at me like I'm a fucking dart board? Or did you forget that those knifes  _sunk_ in the wall without even making a sound?" He hissed, pointing at the wall where the knife had embedded weeks ago. There was a slit on its place, clean and straight as if it was there to begin with.

Levi smirked at him, "What? You know me well enough to know that I won't stand there and just evade your fucking bombs, you were throwing them like a fucking terrorist gone insane. An eye for an eye, blondie. And besides it's great training for you, now that we have another long range combatant."

Farlan gave him the finger. Two of it. Levi's smirk widened to a grin.

"These weapons work way too well for me." Levi commented, looking at the assortment of weapons on his body. From the swords to the knife and finally the guns.

"Well, you've been handling knives and guns all your life. It's to be expected." Gunther said as he stood up with a grunt and walked with a limp along with his Shifter to the bench.

As Eren predicted, Levi efficiently mastered Eren in less than two weeks. He felt pride swell up on his insides, he didn't even stop the smile that lifted his thin lips and brightened his silver eyes. He'd even managed to keep Eren out of his private thoughts although that was more on Meister instincts. The others were giving him their own praises but what gave him the greatest pleasure was his Shifter's. Eren's delight was so strong Levi could feel it echoing to him.

"I can't believe it!" Eren exclaimed excitedly as soon as he appeared in shimmering lights of blue and green and with a shout of "You did it, Levi!" threw his arms around his Meister's neck. "Not even two weeks!"

Levi stood frozen, not quite knowing what to do. He could make out the varied expressions of his team over the brunette's shoulder which was now stiffening, probably just realizing what he'd done. But before the other could let go,—and from Isabel's persuasion—Levi wrapped his own arms around the brunette's waist, awkward at first but once Eren relaxed he'd held the other firmly.

"What did you expect?" Levi answered idly as he made himself comfortable on his Shifter's embrace, he didn't let go as Eren leaned away to look at him properly. It just gave Levi great opportunity to watch his pretty eyes sparkle in delight and the beautiful splash of color on his cheeks.

"Not getting a big head now are we?" Eren teased but his smile was as bright as ever, "There's still flying or should we try sparring again but with two of them?" Perhaps it was to Eren's disarming smile or the way the Shifter's body felt soft and warm underneath his hand that Levi forgot about the indisposed status of his team when he shouted,

"Let's do that. Farlan—" There were groans from different directions and a shout of 'Fuck you, Levi.' "Fine. I guess we'll just have to wait for Petra and Eld then." Levi muttered to his Shifter.

"Alright!" Eren agreed readily enough and with renewed excitement asked, "Should we fly in the meantime?" The others perked up; apparently the idea of flying had not yet lost its appeal.

It was when the comforting weight on his shoulders vanished that Levi noticed that they were hugging all this time. With a cough of embarrassment—and hell no, that heat on his face was not because he was blushing—he opened their connection and they fused once again.

Whooping in delight, Eren instructed him to get to the furthest side,  _"I'll take control of the gear again, Levi."_

" _Alright."_ Levi stood still but then he felt a force on his back and he was so high up, his head was almost touching the ceiling. He couldn't help the surprised shout that went past his lips. Cold sweat forming on his forehead and other parts of his body.

" _Don't worry, I won't let you fall."_ The effect was instant. Levi relaxed his legs from where he'd instinctually held it tight against his body and let it dangle comfortingly down as his body stayed in the air. He would have thought it odd but the adrenaline of being able to defy gravity, being able to fly had shot all thoughts out the window.

He zoomed in a straight line along the ceiling in a sedate pace, looking down; Levi could make out the shocked and excited expressions of his resting team.

" _Levi! Kick the wall."_ Eren instructed as the other end came closer. With great timing, Levi kicked off the wall, and twisted his body to get back to the other side.  _"See, it's easy, right?"_ There was a groan of disappointment before Eren continued dejectedly,  _"But the ceiling's too low, I thought it would be fine… I'm afraid it wasn't as fun as it is outside. I fucked up."_

" _No."_ Levi was fast to object,  _"It is exciting. Just being able to fly this high is already a fucking miracle. Did you think that isn't enough to surprise me?"_ He kicked off on another wall, slanting it a bit to get to another point.

" _But—I wanted to make you feel how my Meisters felt. I just realized that with a place like this—It's like… You're a caged bird…"_

Eren's voice was quiet like a whisper of a dream on his mind. Levi still didn't know much about his Shifter's past but he didn't need to know to understand that Eren didn't like being confined. He'd noticed in their first week together that Eren was not comfortable in their training ground and most often than not, Levi would find his Shifter outside every break or staring outside the windows in their office. Levi did not need to know to understand that Eren's capabilities had always made him a target for other power-hungry Meisters.

" _Eren."_ Levi started and when they came nearer another wall, an arrow shot out from his gear and embedded itself on it, keeping him hanging in place. Eren was also getting better at predicting his moves,

" _It doesn't matter. With you on my side, we'll manage to break free whatever fucking cage you make up on your mind. We've got the rest of the future to fly as much as we want outside."_ And they did. Didn't Eren mention that he won't leave their team? Levi took his word and gripped it tight.

He could feel the smile on Eren's face,  _"…Of course, Levi."_

The grappler hook loosened and Eren landed him softly down the ground.  _"Let's try again but let me go by myself. I think I could manage."_

" _Sure."_ The raven-haired man shot into the air with ease. Kicking off on a wall, he flew on a zigzag path, trying to get himself accustomed to the constant pull of gravity as he stayed airborne by some fucking divine force or the other. After minutes of doing just that, he tried changing directions by shooting the grappling hook on the ceiling and rounding himself in the air. They were easier to control that he'd expected.

" _Levi, I forgot. I should make you accustomed to the feeling of falling. It's the hardest part of flying. And it would be useful in the future when you get the hang of it."_

" _What do you mean?"_ Levi asked as he stops on a corner of the wall.

" _Do you trust me?"_

" _I do."_ Levi was fast to reply that even he was surprised by himself but then he felt Eren's happiness and he found that he didn't care.

" _Then this is how it feels when you're about to fall. Don't close your eyes, Levi._ " Eren warned, _"Remember the feeling._ Don't  _be afraid. Brace yourself."_

Levi did. There was a clink and then he was going  _down_ , his muscles were tight with tension and he was gritting his teeth  _so hard_.

The ground was coming up fast and he thought he heard someone shout his name but then the danger and fear of losing one's life was really  _this_ strong. The gear won't fucking work and he can't help but to move his hands, his feet, anything to stop the imminent fall that could cause his life but—

" _Levi!"_

And all his thoughts are suddenly centered on Eren's voice.

" _Don't close your eyes. Remember the feeling. Don't_   _be afraid."_

Gentle, calming,  _safe._

He remembered the feel of wind rushing past his body, like floating in cool waters, and then he was up in the air again.

"Shit!" Levi finally shouted as the adrenaline wore off. "Fucking shit!"

" _Again, Levi!"_

"What the fuck!" But he was falling once again but something was different.

He was not afraid anymore.

"What—" He started, only to stop. Confused. His body was going up and down as if he was bouncing on an invisible mattress with the same feeling of security that something would catch him once he falls back down. As if he was playing tag with gravity, only he comes out the winner each and every time.

" _It's better to go at it again while the feeling is still strong."_ Eren voice was higher than normal and Levi noticed that the feeling of excitement and elation was not just his.  _"It's great to know that you really trust me."_

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't fuse with you if I didn't…" After a moment he added, "I haven't screamed like that since I was born." Levi whispered with a bit of vexation.

" _I'm sorry, I needed to do that. Sometimes, I won't be able to control the gear since the Meister's control is absolute once you've closed me off and once you feel intense fear I might not be able to take over. But of course, I know that you're practically fearless but it's a just-in-case scenario."_

" _And how will this be useful?"_

" _We're not really impregnable once we're in the air. They could still reach us using long-range weapons so freefalling to evade is a must. And I wanted you to feel the fear of falling."_ Eren explained, _"I know that you've met a lot of dangerous situations before but the fear of falling to your death is different, after all, you can't fight back something you can't see nor feel."_

" _I see what you mean."_ But then again, Levi just knew that he'd been able to get pass that fear because his Shifter was there.

" _Yes."_ A soft laugh, _"I'll leave you to it, then."_

Levi flew through the air once again. Not once had he went down. He'd even tried freefalling by himself and then twisting mid-air, as if evading bullets or arrows, before shooting off once again. He'd even tried different speeds from fast to slowest.

" _Levi, don't you think Petra and Eld's taking too much time?"_ Eren's voice held much worry that it actually made Levi praise him silently but it soon vanished as he thought of it too. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, it said that they were half an hour late. It was already nearing lunch time.

"Oluo!" Levi called as he landed softly right in front of them, he felt lightheaded and he'd swayed dangerously for a bit before he finally got his bearings. "Any word from Petra or Eld?"

Oluo shook his head before a look of worry showed on his face, "Weren't they suppose to be gathering intel about our next job?"

"Yes. It's another infamous person underground. Our client was very much shady to the point that they ordered a person to talk to us directly and even the messenger's identity was hushed up but I accepted since his demand's tame enough and they were willing to pay triple our fee." Farlan said, whipping his phone out. "And we now have Eren paired up with Levi; I thought it would be a piece of cake. I'll message them just in case."

"The messenger could have been the actual client." Levi pointed out.

"I thought of that, too. He was tall but thin and I thought that no rich boss could actually have that sort of build."

"Could have been the intellectual type." Oluo argued.

"His voice sounded boyish so no."

"What did they want?" Gunther asked. Farlan glanced at him before fiddling more on his phone then finally showing them the picture of a black-haired woman.

"Information on the mission of this hardass-looking woman."

" _That's it?"_  Eren asked when Farlan didn't say anymore.  _"We just need to know what this woman needs to do and then were getting paid triple? Sounds like a load of bullshit to me."_

"You and I, Eren." Levi said and when Farlan cocked an eyebrow at him, he elaborated, "We both think that's bullshit, Farlan. That's way too easy."

"Well, they also wanted us to sabotage it and take whatever it was that she'd have." Levi stared at the blonde with his dead-fish look.

" _And he says that now."_ Eren murmured causing Levi to hold back a smirk.

" _He's fucking dramatic isn't he?"_  Levi responded, making his Shifter chuckle.

"Is it just me or are you two talking shit about me?" Farlan accused, looking at Levi with narrowed eyes.

"Fucking nailed it." Levi deadpanned, there was a soft laugh echoing on his head.

"Sorry we're late!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them and they all looked back to see Petra and Eld, looking haggard.

"What took you so long?" Oluo asked as he fussed around the strawberry blonde.

"Gathering information about them is harder than we thought. We've talked to every informant we know and they can't provide even a single clue." Eld informed them with a frown.

"That certainly makes things harder." Farlan muttered before Isabel's stomach sounded like a rumbling thunder.

"Let's think about that later!" Isabel shouted, hands already digging the bag for their lunch.

"Isabel! That's my bag, you idiot!" the blonde hurriedly took hold of the redhead's arms and pulled her back. "Be careful, there are blades in there!"

"Oops!" Isabel giggled before digging the other bag. Eren appeared on Levi' side in a second and they both stared at the quarreling duo.

Levi shook his head already ignoring them as he memorized the face of the woman. Dark hair, freckle-packed face, sharp beady eyes. A strong face, definitely someone you wouldn't want to mess up with.

"That's mine!" Gunther shouted a little too late as Isabel successfully extracted a box of store-bought manjus.

"Eehh? Desert first?" Isabel shrugged, dodging the pointy haired male as he lunged for her, "Doesn't matter. I'll just—ow!" Petra had smacked her on the ass like a bad child.

Levi listened to the amused laugh of his Shifter before looking at Eld, "How's it upstairs?"

Eld glanced at the amused brunette, who was still watching the others try to pry the cake off of Isabel's clutches without damaging the confectionary, "It's pretty cloudy."

Levi nodded, visibly satisfied, before grabbing a hold of his Shifter's wrist while his other hand took a hold of his bag then he called out, "Hey! We're eating outside and Isabel, let go of that box or I won't let you eat even a bite!"

"Big bro!" the redhead shrieked in disbelief.

* * *

"Would you loosen your ass already?" Levi grumbled, watching from the corner of his eye how Eren flinched in surprise. He nodded his head and fixed his eyes upfront but his shoulders were still tense.

They were walking out today; Levi had left his car on the underground garage by the office when he'd picked the brunette up. Eren was walking alongside Levi as they navigated their way through the streets of the city of Rose. Around them people were weaving in and out of the array of stores lining the street.

"Did you forget what I taught you already?" Levi asked, careful in adding just bit of anger because he knew that Eren had kept his teachings to heart and he'd done well at last night's surveillance mission. Although it may be true that a job and a stroll in the city are two different things, can't Eren at least relax?

"No. I'm sorry. It's just—they're staring." Eren replied as he looked at his side. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then exhaled quite loudly. "It's a bit alarming."

Levi swept his eyes around them and true enough, there were a lot of people staring at them and that may not be much of a surprise to Levi—because he knew just how  _damn hot_  he was, not that he'd say that out loud—but the way people practically ogled Eren just ignited a bit of irritation in him and maybe, just maybe, a bit of smugness because he knew Eren was his—his Shifter, that is.

Not that Levi blamed them, Eren is quite the relief for sore eyes but those jewels stuck on his eye sockets just screamed at people to look at him—and did he just see some teenagers whip out their phones?

"How the hell can it bother you? Aren't you used to it yet?" Levi asked, curiously.

"No. How can someone be used to staring?" Eren replied just as curious before his eyes widened and then he exclaimed, surprising not only the people around them but also his companion, "Ah! It's because you're so handsome! Oh fuck. Leave a space of five meters between us, go on, shoo."

The older man elbowed the brunette in the stomach. Shooing him like a fucking dog? "Would you shut up! The hell are you spouting now?"

Eren stopped as he rubbed his sore stomach, "So-sorry."

Sighing silently, Levi looked at the stores around them before seeing something useful, "Would you like to have one?" the raven-haired man inquired, pointing his finger towards the small store of head accessories. Eren followed it but his eyes dropped on the small shop next to it and promptly blushed.

Levi dropped his hand, looking at Eren as if he's just gone insane. "What the fuck are you blushing at?"

"I-I don't think I'd need a cake." Eren muttered.

"Cake?" Levi repeated and pulled his eyes back towards the line of shops. Right next to the one he'd pointed to was a small bakery but why would Eren think of cake?

Eren, noticing the confusion on the older man's face, immediately explained, "I'm so sorry, Captain! I didn't mean to get ahead of myself! Petra—I mean, I thought you brought me out because today's my birthday!"

Levi whipped his head back and stared wide-eyed at the flustered brunette in front of him. Today was Eren's birthday? The raven suddenly remembered what Eren had said back then, _"I'm turning seventeen next month."_

Thank God, Buddha and all the almighties out there that he suddenly felt like taking Eren out of that office.

To be honest though, Levi had taken Eren out because he'd seen the way Eren would look out the window sometimes and since Eren wasn't allowed out unless he was with someone, Levi just knew that the brunette was getting bored just sitting around.

Clearing his throat, "Of course, I meant the cake…" Eren eyed him suspiciously so he hastily added, "And the hat. I meant those hats. The cake comes next…"

Not even waiting for the brunette because he just knew that he was caught lying, Levi immediately made a bee line to the store. Why the fuck was he lying?

"Captain!" Eren called from behind him, jogging to match his pace. "You don't need to feel obligated to buy me one! It was my fault!"

Levi turned his eyes to look at Eren. There was regret hidden in those mismatched eyes of his and he just knew Eren wanted a fluffed up ball of sugar. How the hell would Levi say no to that face? And besides, Eren deserved this more than anyone.

"Just shut up and accept it." Eren whined but said nothing more. Levi mentally noted that he would also need to call the rest of the team to celebrate later. The door slid open once they'd approached the door and Levi quickly took a sports cap and paid for it.

Setting it none too gently to the brunette's head, he muttered to himself, "Well then, next is the cake." Eren stared at him for a moment and Levi was ready for his comebacks but he merely nodded his head.

"…Thank you, Levi." The smile that Eren had given him was absolutely beautiful.

Levi quickly turned around, "No problem."

The smell of baked goods assaulted their nose as soon as they entered; they barely heard the bell ring above their heads. The bakery was bigger than it looked outside. There was a long line in the counter and all around, the tables were filled with chatters and from the people going up and down the stairs on the far right, it also has a second story.

"Whoa." Eren's awed voice sounded next to Levi's ear. "It's packed."

"No shit, sherlock." Levi grumbled as he stood behind an elderly woman. "But it's a wonder why there's a whole lot of people out today."

"Maybe there's some kind of event happening near here?" Eren offered, evading a body as it passed by him. Levi was about to answer but the elderly woman in front of him turned around and gave him a wrinkly smile.

"Ooh, such a gorgeous man." She commented and, like a true elderly lady, laid her thin hand on her cheek as she nodded to herself before her eyes fell on Eren and then she exclaimed, "Oh my. Oh my, my, my. Yes. Such a great day it is!"

She reached up a hand and pinched Eren's cheeks like a child. Levi laughed internally at the put out expression on the brunette's face.

"Why, I haven't seen such eyes in all my years, young lad! You could make anyone fall on their knees just to have a go with you." Eren squeaked.

Levi cleared his throat, "I don't think he would be 'having a go' with anyone just yet, old hag—ugh, Eren!"

The woman turned her head towards Levi with look and then her wrinkled lips turned up into a knowing smile that made Levi's go down, "Oh, do pardon me, young man."

"Uh, the line's moving, madam." Eren interjected. The woman merely moved a step backwards, making Eren and Levi share an amused glance.

"Now, what was I going to say again?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she racked her elderly brain, "Ah yes. Pardon me but I've overheard your conversation earlier and I can't seem to stop myself to aid you but I find myself not caring especially with such eye candies, oh yes, yum."

' _Wow, old hag. Hold your fucking undies.'_  Levi thought.

"You see, the military police is going to be here to train in the public training arena and it had made quite the commotion amongst the active young ones like my nephew."

"Really?" Eren breathed out. His Meister had once mentioned that the leader of the Special Operations Team was an S class like him and it had kindled Eren's want to see another.

"Yes, my dear." She smiled, the line moved again and so did they, "He and his partner's currently waiting here for their arrival and oh, even I can't seem to quell my excitement. Seeing them so active brings back my own memories back in the field."

"You were part of the police?" Levi asked, not really surprised. He'd seen the sharp glint in the woman's eyes after all and the way she held herself still showed the training her body had undergone. She was, most probably, a Meister.

"Yes, I was a peace-keeper. You know that department tasked to break apart rowdy Pairs that's causing a ruckus in broad daylight." She tutted as she shook her head, remembering the days of old. "There are still a lot of battles going on out there even though there are more fighting competitions and lots of arenas allotted for such; they still see the city as their playground. At least there are less now. Still, it would have been better if they'd just stop once and for all, for the comfort of the people, don't you think?"

Levi shrugged, he didn't give a shit about other people's comfort and besides all these illegal battles comes in handy sometimes, "These lazy shits are probably thinking that signing up for competitions take too much time and Arenas are for professionals. What I think is that whoever's in position should get their fat ass moving and fix the system."

Eren bumped their shoulders softly to get his attention and when he did, he gestured towards the old woman, "My, such crude language!" Eren laughed softly, "But I think you are right, young man."

"Next please!"

"Oh, finally here. Well then, I guess I'll see you, gorgeous men, in the arena later?" Eren looked at him with wide pleading eyes. Levi was very much tempted to say yes but he managed to shake his head.

"Oh, that's too bad, huh?" She pat Eren's head softly, "Don't worry, pretty boy; they train with the public sometimes so you'll be able to see them again. Have a nice day, then!"

Levi felt himself liable for some explanation as soon as the woman was out of earshot. "We can't, Eren. Anything to do with the police is a no-go."

"Of course, Captain. I just thought it would be good to see if the commander's in there." Eren acquiesced.

"The commander's worst. They may not know how we look like but our bodies are pretty telling by itself, already. I don't think they'll let us go without going all Sherlock Holmes on us." Eren laughed softly and their conversation was cut off once the elderly woman had left with a short nod to them. "Go on, choose."

Eren looked reluctant at first but after his eyes shifted to the large display case, his eyes brightened and he skipped closer. Levi muttered 'brat' under his breath but smiled an amuse smile, anyway. They walked out of the bakery with a brown and gold box of red velvet cake, Eren was smiling far too bright next to him, effectively tripling the amount of eyes watching them.

"Anything else, you'd like?" Levi idly asked. His phone rang, telling him that he'd gotten a message. Taking it out of his pocket, he swiped it once and the screen moved showing Gunther's message,

" _Captain, keep Eren occupied! Knowing you, you didn't know today is Eren's birthday. We'll be finished with the preparations here in an hour so we're leaving him to you until then!"_

"Those assholes." Levi muttered under his breath, shoving his phone back after typing a quick reply of, "Damn you. Make it quick."

"What's the matter, Captain?" Eren asked. Levi glanced at him; contemplating about where the hell would they pass an hour. He didn't go out much, most of what he knew were for escape routes and Eren had mentioned that he was not familiar around here.

Levi shrugged, throwing the thoughts into the air, "To the park. Let's go to the fucking park where children run around like headless chickens and dogs dump their shits everywhere. I'm sure you'll like a change of pace."

"You think I like watching dogs shitting their ass out!" Eren shouted indignantly, "Fuck no!"

"I was kidding, stupid." Levi smirked, feet already moving towards the direction of the park. "You think I'll go anywhere with shit decorating the ground? It's as big and green as your left eye. I'd bet there's a shit ton of people in there right now but there's quite a lot to sit on."

Eren stared at him for a moment, a blush tainting his cheeks. Levi hid his smile.

Just as he had said, there were a lot of people milling about but thankfully, they were sitting down the grass with picnic clothes laid out so they managed to hog a bench for themselves by the sidewalk, behind them a huge tree provided them safety from the heat of the sun.

"I can't believe it. There's actually such a paradise around this big ass buildings." Eren murmured in awe as he looked around. Huge trees lay abundantly everywhere to give shade to people, there were famous quotations written on boards that were nailed into the tree trunks. The sidewalk was lined with green bushes and flowering plants that were encased by small fences with plank cards saying 'Do not pluck the flowers. Thank you.'

"Paradise, huh? I like that." Levi commented, leaning back and swinging an arm behind Eren.

"I lived in the province with my parents. Everywhere I look there are big and small trees. It's just green everywhere that it gets boring sometimes but now that I'm in the city, I find myself missing nature."

Levi watched the sway of brown hair as cool wind played with it softly. Eren had been giving him snippets of his life before they met. It was just random things but it was enough for Levi to understand him more and Levi found himself sharing his own even though he did not like sharing anything about his past. It felt far too much like giving up your soul.

Life in the underground held no good memories, meeting Isabel and Farlan perhaps, but no more. Eren seemed to like it though, especially those times where Levi would share his failures during a mission or the wrong decisions he'd made but Eren had never mocked him, rather he'd listen raptly as if Levi was sharing his honorable exploits instead.

"It's better than seeing mossy rocks and muddy grounds." Levi muttered.

Eren looked at him and smiled, "You did mention that walking around makes you feel like walking in a pigsty. Can't walk without boots on and painting your pants with mud."

"It's true. I think I even acquired the skill of painting the back of my clothes with just walking around." Eren laughed and Levi smirked along with him. A ball came out of nowhere hitting Levi in the knee. He glowered at it before Eren finally scooped it off the ground.

"I swear the ball just deflated with the power of your glare, Captain." Eren chuckled as he played it with his fingers before a blonde child appeared in front of him, panting.

"That's mine!" the child panted, he flinched when he saw Levi, "S-s-sorry for causing you trouble!" The child bowed down so low his forehead touched his knee and Eren gushed at him.

"It's fine. Don't mind Mr. Grumpy over here. He just ate something bad a while ago and," Eren made a show of leaning closer to the child and whispered, "You know, he needs to  _go._ "

The child's brown eyes widened in realization before he looked at Levi and said, "There's a toilet over there. I went there earlier and there are tissues… Just don't forget to buy one." And with a lower voice added, "I forgot. And I had to wait half an hour until mommy got me some. I was about to resort to using my favorite pocketbook but I couldn't make up my mind…" After one last encouraging nod, he ran back where he came from.

Eren bent over as he laughed hard. "Oh fuck! Tell me he did not just say that! Oh my God!"

Levi felt his lips turning up, Eren's laugh was just infectious but Levi was a man of control so he cuffed Eren hard on the head. "So I look like I'm constipated, huh? Get ready; your training tomorrow is tripled."

Eren paled and squawked, "Anything but that!" Levi merely lifted an eyebrow. "Shit… Uh, sorry?"

"You dug your own grave, Eren." Levi smirked. Eren glowered at him for a moment but Levi determinedly kept his eyes on the opposite direction.

"You've got to show me that skill sometime." Eren squished out. "I think it's quite a handy skill to amuse children. I think they'll like you more."

"Fuck you. Children adore me." Levi glared at him. "They are silenced in awe with my mere presence."

"More like intimidated in silence."

"Come again?"

"Nothing."

An excited shriek made Eren jump in his seat. Levi tensed as he saw a woman run in their direction. She was dressed in civilian clothes but from the telltale goggles and wild, greasy brown hair, he knew that this was Hange Zoe, part of the Special Operations Team as both researcher and fighter.

What she was doing there when she should be at the training arena, he would not know and he'd bet that even her teammates wouldn't as well. Most probably, they also did not know that she wasn't with them, anymore. Hange Zoe was known to be quite the eccentric woman and Levi knew that she was one of those people who danced along the defining line of genius and insane.

She skidded to a stop by grabbing a hold of Eren's shoulders. They almost toppled over from the force of it but Eren managed to plant an arm on the space between them to prevent them from kissing the ground.

"Oh my God! I can't believe I'm meeting another S class! You're an S class Shifter aren't you? This is my third time! Thank you, Lord!"

Levi would have punched anyone who dared to do that but this was not just anyone. This was a man of the government and a part of the greatest, most elite team there is. Just messing with them could play Levi and his team's downfall. Gritting his teeth and crossing his arms to keep them by his side, he satisfied his flaming anger by glaring at the bespectacled woman.

"What form? Do you have a Meister? Or are you a part of a Team? Can you show me your form?" She was getting closer and closer and Levi saw the way Eren's shoulders got tenser and tenser. He glanced at Levi, a silent question of what he should do, his fists were balled on his side and when Levi shook his head, he bit his lip and looked at the woman.

"Wait!" The woman stop, thankfully and looked at Eren with much attention, it was creepy. "Uh… I'm not an S class…"

She finally leaned away, confused. Eren scooted closer to Levi, the box of cake lay forgotten on the other side.

"What? But the CIG said that you were one." She muttered as she took a hold of a device strapped on her hip.

Levi's silver eyes zeroed in on it and he eyed it skeptically. He didn't know whether it could only tell what class and type a person is or if it could tell other information as well. Like his name or whatever, which was unlikely since he wasn't a registered citizen but that was all the more alarming if he was scanned and nothing came up…

Levi felt cold sweat form on his body when she pointed the device at Eren. It beeped once—making Levi flinch at his seat—before a laser shot out of it and scanned Eren's head up and down, and then she was shrieking again. Levi was lucky Isabel's wasn't as shrill as this. She hadn't even glanced at Levi's way once. How rude could she be?

"I knew it! I knew it! And you're even unbound! Unbelievable! I'm so  _not_  gonna take off my lucky panties  _ever again!_ " Levi did not fight the grimace that occupied his face.

She was jumping up and down, before she stilled and took a hold of Eren once again. There was some sort of crazed look on her face now. Eren squirmed on his seat, clearly uncomfortable and Levi pulled his arms tighter to his chest, chanting a mantra of 'hold it, hold it. Fucking hold it. Damn you shitty glasses.'

"What's your name?" She asked breathlessly, leaning closer once again. That simple question took a load off Levi's chest but then her next question got his anger going past the maximum level in an instant, "Would you be mine?"

"Fuck you, you bitch!" Levi roared, punching the woman off the brunette and into the ground. She went down with a surprised yelp, glasses askew on her nose as she looked up at him. Eren stood and quickly grabbed a hold of Levi's arm before pulling the raven away from her as he moved to follow her to the ground.

"Calm down, Levi!" Eren panicked before whispering in his ear, "I thought we shouldn't lay a hand on any officer? Calm down, please."

Levi clicked his tongue and sucked in a harsh breathe before letting it out in a loud exhale, it seemed to have help some but he took a hold of Eren's wrist. The contact giving him more comfort as their connection echoed along his skin. Their shortest fusion time was three seconds but from the way things are, Levi would bet that all they'd need would be a second.

His Shifter smiled at him comfortingly before looking back at the frowning woman still seated at the ground and glaring daggers at the older male. Levi glared back harder.

"Who the fuck is this rude midget?" Eren firmly planted himself in between the two.

"Uh, sorry but who are you?" Eren mocked innocence, "It's very rude to suddenly show up in front of people's faces like a stupid child and demand things you shouldn't be demanding about."

She flinched, obviously picking up the insult, before standing and dusting herself up. Clearing her throat she started with a more calm voice—very much unlike her personality earlier and Levi was starting to believe that Hange was not an eccentric, the woman was fucking  _insane_ — and offering a hand, "Apologies for my behavior. My name is Hange Zoe, member of the elite squad lead by Commander Erwin Smith of the Rose branch."

"Eren and the man behind me is Levi." Eren took a hold of her hand and firmly shook it. "He's my Meister."

Her face clearly showed her disappointment, "Eh? You already have a Meister?" and as if not believing it, she pointed the CIG on him. It beeped and scanned him. Once done, Levi almost smirked as her scowl deepened.

"No wonder." She muttered before putting the device back to its place.

"Yeah.  _'No wonder.'_  Done now, shitty glasses? Good. We'll be taking our leave then." Levi said through gritted teeth and tugged Eren, who immediately shot his free hand for the box of cake.

"No wait!" She shouted, running after them, "It doesn't matter if you already have a Meister! It's fantastic even! I could still study you!"

"No is no,  _Hange Zoe of the elite squad_." Levi mocked, "Find your own Shifter."

"Wait!" She shouted again, Levi clicked his tongue but waited anyway. "Here, it's my personal contact number. Contact me when you changed your mind!" Eren accepted the offered card and Levi dragged them out of there.

"This is fucking problematic." Levi just hoped that the rumor about Hange Zoe being a stubborn individual was not real.

 


End file.
